A Closed, Dead Space
by superstarultra
Summary: Even in a world filled with fun and excitement, there is always fear and darkness lurking about in it. Read on for the terrors that happen when the club meetings are over. Horror fic collection.
1. Demon at Dawn

**Dis****claimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: Well, dear readers, you wanted some horror. And I plan to give you the horror you've been longing for. The following one-shots are all ideas I've had for this particular fandom. Rest assured, this won't be half as long as my crack fic collection, "You Got HaruhiRolled!". Some chapters will be small drabbles I've had, and others will be longs frightening epics. **

**Different types of horror will be presented: From psychological horror to icky bloody stuff. I may change the rating for this later on. That is, unless, you my friends, would like to see my far more creepy stuff that may not be suitable for a T rating. **

**And this sections just needs some more horror in it, you know? **

**Now have fun and enjoy the show.**

**And I mainly put Ryoko in the character slot next to Kyon instead of Haruhi, because mainly... I felt like it and this chapter stars her. **

**That, and Ryoko is scarier in my opinion. XD**

**Warning: I'd advise that you guys avoid reading the Reviews section of this fic. People tend to blab a lot there. Therefore, going there would spoil the stories for you. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Have a good day. **

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**Kyon has been having trouble sleeping lately.

It started out innocently enough. It all began with a nightmare. It was a very odd one as well. A series of fleeting images playing as though they were on one of those old-fashioned film reels. There plenty of colors with in it, too- Hazy oranges and yellows, a flash of blue, a glint of silver, a spot of purple, splotches of red, and dots of white.

Of course he ignored it.

Everyone has nightmares.

No big deal.

But then Kyon began to have even bigger problems. The dream became more frequent. Sometimes, he'd nod off in the middle of class and catch a gleam of silver flash before him. Red flecks would appear whenever he'd shut his eyes just for a rest. The colors would swirl together into a myriad of sickly shades that almost made him want to vomit. It lasted for a bit, then just seemed to leave him. Peace once again coursed through his life.

Not that Kyon ever told anyone about this.

He didn't want any of his friends or family to worry about him.

It's not like he was _crazy_.

But then one day, he entered his classroom and made his way towards his seat. No problem at all. Then he turned around to stare at the front of the room. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

It was that person. _That _person. The one who had been a former classmate of his. The one who had transferred away. The one who had tried to _kill _him.

It was _**her**_.

But no one else seemed to notice her but him. She made no move to come near him. Or anything considered remotely hostile. She just stood there and just stared at him. That was it. Just stared. With that same sugar-coated smile she used to give her fellow students and teachers. Now it seemed as disgusting as a rat or cockroach to him. So as soon as class ended, he dashed out of class at a pace faster than Haruhi and into the clubroom.

And there _she _was again.

She was there as the gorgeous Mikuru poured him his tea.

She was there as the quiet Yuki was reading her latest novel.

She was there as the amiable Itsuki engaged him in a simple game of Othello.

And she was _everywhere_ when the daring Haruhi took them all out on a routine patrol.

But Kyon didn't tell them about her. It was just his imagination acting up on him. It would go away soon.

He wasn't _insane _or anything.

But when that person began to appear in his room in the dead of night, just watching him- always watching him, with deep, blue eyes that seemed to devour you like a merciless ocean in a storm and you can't even do anything as you're pulled right down into its depths and drown- he began to realize that maybe he **should **tell someone. But even as he considered it in his mind, she'd bring her finger to her lips and smile that innocent smile of hers and shake her head from side to side. And he knew that telling someone would make things worse.

His parents and sister began to badger him constantly at why he looked so beaten down all the time. Kyon had thrown them some excuse about being nervous for school or some other trivial fact. Not like they'd take him seriously if he told them.

Haruhi and the others had begun to notice as well. She'd said that it was unbecoming of an SOS Brigade member to have lost so much sleep in the past few months and demanded he tell her what was wrong. But Kyon could never bring himself to reveal why. Kyon was afraid- not just for himself, but for Haruhi. He couldn't get her involved in this. Or any of the others.

It wasn't their problem.

So when Kyon outright refused to answer Haruhi whenever she asked him about, her rage quelled and she became worried about him. The bags under his eyes and the way he'd stare fearfully at the dark corners of a room were becoming more apparent to her. So one time, when she'd come late one night to study with him over a test, Haruhi had stated she would spend the night with him. Kyon wasn't even able to answer her when she suddenly hopped into his bed and drew the covers over the two of them. She buried her head in the crook of his shoulder; the heat of her body warming his own. When morning came, she silently exited his room and made the long trip to her own. It was the first time Kyon had gotten a good night's sleep in awhile and he made sure to thank Haruhi for it at school, only for her to state that it was only a part of her duty as a Brigade Chief. But her stays became even more frequent over the next couple of days, and Kyon cherished every one of their nights together.

But he knew Haruhi couldn't be with him all the time.

One day, Haruhi announced that they would all be having a sleepover at Tsuruya's house. She didn't specify why, but Kyon was silently grateful. He arrived there earlier than everyone, surprising even Haruhi. Tsuruya kept them all entertained with her party games for awhile before they all turned in for the night. They slept in their sleeping bags in the upperclassman's cavernous living room. Kyon slept peacefully for a few hours before the need for a drink overrode his need for sleep. He got up, made his way to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and brought the rest of it back with him to the pitchy-black living room. He toyed with the idea of flicking on a light-switch but though against it. Kyon gulped the rest of it down before settling into his sleeping bag, zipping it up comfortably to his chest. He took one last look at the sleeping forms of Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki, Itsuki, and Tsuruya, smiled, and let sleep claim him.

The first few rays of the morning sun shone through the blinded windows, kissing Kyon's head. He sat up and his body declared it was time to pay the bathroom a visit. He stood up, rubbed the crust from his eyelids, and...

...almost screamed and threw up.

The sleeping bags of his friends were all tore open viciously as though by greedy claws. Amid the pieces of the ruined fabric, were the mutilated bodies of his friends. Blood seeped out of their sleeping bags like ghastly puddles. Their mouths were open in the middle of silent screams, their eyes lifeless and cold, and their hands in the position of still trying to hold off their attackers. Even the invincible Yuki was stone-cold dead, her small face an even lighter shade of white. Kyon stumbled back, trying to fight off the urge to pass out from the panic squeezing his heart, and bumped into the sticky wall behind him.

Sticky?

He turned slowly, his stomach and nerves dreading what lay behind him. He was right. The wall behind him was covered with blood. Not random drops thrown on from a fierce struggle, though. The crimson liquid was arranged into a neat, curvy message that was made just for him to read.

**AREN'T YOU GLAD YOU DIDN'T TURN THE LIGHT ON, KYON?**

The screams poured from his mouth like a river. He fell down to his knees and screamed into his hands, not even caring about the icy blood soaking the back of his shirt. They were dead and it all his fault.

All his fault, all his fault, all his fault, all his fault-

A sudden shaking at his shoulders caused his eyes to snap open. Kyon blinked. He was back in his sleeping bag, with all five of his friends surrounding him. Concern adorned each of their faces. No bloody message on the walls.

Another nightmare.

He went to bed alone at his own house that very same day. The images of all of his friends lying dead in puddles of their life's fluid in front of him still haunted his brain. He pulled the covers over his head, trying to shut out the dark shapes that swam about his moonlit room. His teeth chattering and his knuckles numb, Kyon slowly peeked out from his blanket at alien world that he had once called his room.

There she was again.

Standing there a few feet away from him in her old uniform, hands folded behind her back. This time, however, she confidently strode towards him. She cupped the side of his face and studied him, analyzed him, like some kind of lab animal. He could only watch as she slid into bed alongside him , and began to run her hands all over his body. He did so in return. Her fingernails dug into him like knives, objects that were weighing heavily on his mind right now. As he explored the contours of her frame, her tongue invaded his mouth, and he found himself tangling with the instinct of retching. But he didn't. Any boy his age would have been in absolute bliss. But not him.

It felt... _wrong_.

Kyon jolted upright and looked out the window.

Morning had come.

His forehead was damp with sweat, his pajamas stuck to him like used tissues, and fingers hesitantly unwound themselves from his tangled bed-sheets. He placed both feet on the cold carpet of his room, and ran his fingers through his untidy hair. Just another nightmare for him again.

It was when he heard the frosty giggle behind him, however, that he sprang from his bed and whirled around.

"Mmmmm... Did you sleep well, Kyon?" Ryoko Asakura inquired sweetly from her place on the bed, and Kyon was too frozen with fear to even scream for help.

Some people have a monster living in their closet or under their bed.

Others have an inner demon that lives right inside them.

Kyon has one that's a little bit of both though.

And she'll never, **ever **let him go.

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**A/N: I was inspired to make this after reading through quite a few of the fics here. I get the feeling Ryoko never actually "left" Kyon. She left a deep impact on him from that fateful day, and I think she'll always be a part of him, not matter how far he goes.**

**I posted this early, because I had it written early, and I got other stuff going on. When I'm done with some of my comedy, I shall update this whenever I can. I tend to leap around my projects when I get bored. XP **

**If you liked this installment, review, favorite, and put it on your alerts! **


	2. The Caged Bird Yearns

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: Glad to see so many friendly people favorited and alerted my fic! That was really kind of you all.**

**This part contains some violence, a bit of angst, and the ramblings of a demented Fujiwara. **

**You have been warned. **

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It had been a so-so day for him. He'd been taking a simple walk in the afternoon sunshine in a no so important area of the city. The sun was high, causing the shadows to crawl up the walls of the nearby shops and businesses. Hands in his coat pockets, he cast sullen glances at the few people ambling about like ants. He watched them go about their meaningless tasks, talk about their meaningless dreams, and do other meaningless things.

He knew every move they'd make, every step they'd take, and every person they would love, hate, protect, or kill. It was all written into history.

He despised it.

Had he had the opportunity, he'd grab the wheel of time and give it a spin. Anything was better than being trapped in an endless circle of time. Upon thinking that, he chuckled lightly. He knew a group of individuals who'd done just that and fixed it.

But they still just as stuck as he was.

He ran his free hand along the side of a large brick apartment building. Gazing up at it, he admired the handiwork the builders must have put into constructing it. Very sturdy. A shame it wouldn't even be around in his time. He smiled bitterly. What was the point of making something fantastic if it was only going to be broken down and forgotten? So sad.

With a sigh, he continued on his walk, a thought on what his friends-no, accomplices was a better word-were doing at the moment. One was all smiles and flattery, one was steeped in silence and mystery, and the last was as keen as they come and his main reason for sticking around this place. After a debate with his superiors that seemed to go on for an eternity (heh), he decided he would go on a little stroll. Just to relax his worn-out nerves.

A corner at the end of the street greeted him. Maybe he'd run into that little brat with the glasses again. That was a tasty thought. He'd been in his sights last time so clearly, only to have been snatched away. There would be other chances for him to try- if his superiors allowed it. It was highly unlikely that he would meet the child again. The runt was most likely at home thinking about what that wretched girl had said to him.

Nettlesome gadfly.

He'd swat her down if the opportunity ever presented itself. The funny thing was that he couldn't quite remember what it was she'd exactly done to him or who she was again. Was she his mother? Sister? Aunt? Girlfriend? Daughter? He didn't know. But all he did know was that whenever he looked at her, he felt his heart ache fiercely and it reminded him of the same pain he'd felt when he couldn't save _them_. No matter what paths he took, choices he made, people he saved, people he _killed_....

His gritted his teeth at that sour thought. What good was time-travel if it only made something like a simple bike accident into something worse? Hands in both pockets now, he turned the corner of the building.

His eyes widened in considerable surprise.

There they were coming right towards him, dressed in casual wear. All five of them in a row like little ducklings. And there _she_ was right at the front of the flock, talking her head off to them all. The one who was the source of all his trouble. And everyone else's.

Nothing good had ever come out of her. Her selfish wishes constantly placed the world into danger. Be it insufferable boredom over a useless slump or anger at a silly schoolgirl crush, the end of the world was constantly on the mind of her little followers. Yet, they all thought she should keep the powers to herself. He found it ironic that she could easily weigh the sins of others upon them when they frustrated her, but never the sins of herself.

Some god.

"Hey! You! I know you from somewhere, do I?" she shouted out to him, while her lapdogs eyed him warily. The time-traveler of the group began to whine and shiver like a pathetic puppy.

But this was completely unplanned. They weren't supposed to be here. Had he made a mistake and come to the wrong area he was supposed to? Was he simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? Was it her doing?

No.

This wasn't a mistake at all. This was excellent. This event was completely unscripted. Fate had brought him here. A reward for all his strife.

Or just a coincidence. No matter. He'd relish this moment either way.

"Why are you just standing there? And what's with the staring? Got a problem with me?!"

There was a saying he'd heard once that ran through his mind. What was it? Some Buddhist remark. Desire being the source of unhappiness; eliminate that desire and you can live a free life. He smirked. How very, very true for his predicament. The silly girl was a walking monument to desire.

He allowed a twisted giggle to escape his lips.

"Are you laughing at us? That's no way to treat the SOS Brigade, I'll have you know!"

She continued to blather on about her ridiculous little group and how he shouldn't mess with her, but truth be told, he really wasn't listening to anything she was saying. He simply cocked his head to the side and stared at her with the same amount of interest one would give to an endangered animal or a fancy piece of pottery. He had to admit, she was very beautiful. Lose the attitude, smile nicely a bit more often, and she'd have to be fighting off suitors with a stick. She both fascinated him and repulsed him at the same time. What did her future hold.

Hmmmm.

.....Was there a chance that he was _actually _her so-

No.

No.

Of course not. No way he could be related to a demented dreamer like her. He knew how cruel and unforgiving the world could be. She was still an ignorant kid. She wouldn't last a minute in his time. She'd be broken down and beaten so utterly that maybe he would even pity her. But now was not the time for sentiments. It was a time for action. He had her future plotted out for her right now.

"Tcch. Whatever. C'mon, guys. Let's get out of here. Patrol's over for the day, anyways."

They brushed past him. He watched all the glances they gave him. A glare from the angry god, a scrutinizing look from the boy, a suspicious stare from the esper, a frightened peek from the time-traveler, and an uncaring empty look from the alien. Let them judge him. He'd already judged them. He felt around in the numerous pockets of the coat that hung on his lanky frame, and felt something cold.

Perfect.

He had thought he'd taken it out and left it at the usual spot after his meeting. Fate (or Lady Luck)had smiled down on him again. Sure, there was a policy about carrying weapons around for this sort of mission, but then again, rules were made to be broken. They shouldn't have picked him for this in the first place. Their mistake, not his. He waited until they were all past him, with their backs facing him, before he turned and raised his weapon.

"Hey. Ribbons," he called out softly, but just with enough vigor to get her attention.

She let out an irritable sigh and began to turn around, her friends copying the movement. "What? Got something to sa-"

He pulled the trigger without so much as letting her finish her sentence.

The bullet flew gracefully, like a falcon from its perch, and pierced her straight through the chest; he praised himself for striking faster than the alien being able to anticipate his move. The short gasp that flowed from her mouth was sweet and rich like vanilla. A splash of crimson flew out from behind her and onto the gritty sidewalk she stood on. She still stood amazingly, so he decided to empty another shot into her stomach this time. It worked, and she crumpled to the ground, her knees buckling under herself. And there was that silly boy's jaw dropping to the pavement as well, conveying an expression that was oh so priceless.

He watched as the esper quickly knelt down beside the fallen god and hold her close to check her wounds. A noble, but useless gesture. It was too late even for the alien to do anything, either. He aimed for his smooth neck and fired. Another success. The time-traveler shrieked and began to cry about things not happening this way, so he fired off another round into her head to shut her up. The foolish boy cried out her name in despair. It was funny how she'd wrapped him around her little finger. Wanting the so-called "chosen one" to be able to witness his moment and suffer simultaneously, he adjusted his aim. The gun went off, the bullet blocked by a shield that materialized instead, and the boy's left kneecap remained unharmed as the alien came at him. The poor fool still went down without a sound from the shock.

How anticlimactic.

Even as the alien rushed forward and began to tear him apart with blades made of light, he continued to laugh. The entire world began to tremble and quake. He saw the sky flash and then darken repeatedly in quick succession. A loud groan came from the very earth itself. It was soon followed by a rumble of increasing intensity. The world- no, the universe-was dying.

He continued to laugh, even as blood gushed out of his mouth and his gun clattered to the nonexistent earth, only to dissolve into particles along with the blade that had run him through.

There was a flare of light that lit up the entire area where the street used to be.

And Fujiwara died with a smile on his lips.

After many lifetimes of torment, he was finally free.

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**A/N: Besides Ryoko, I also kind of find Fujiwara a bit terrifying. He's pretty close to what the show has as an actual "villain" compared to his teammates. I know it's OOC for him, but then again, someone who has no semblance of what free will is, is bound to do something crazy one day. **

**Read and review, please. **


	3. A Wondrous Inferno

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: We've all seen the pics online of the Haruhi Suzumiya and Alice and Wonderland crossover, right? There are even a few well-done fics of it here. But I always wondered.....**

**What if Haruhi's world became influenced by that of American McGee's Alice? Feel free to read about it on Wikipedia before continuing on. **

**Other than that, enjoy, readers. **

**Warning: Contains an Eldritch Abomination. **

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Mikuru fanned herself as she crossed under the leafy branches belonging to the trees of the Lotus Forest. She felt as though she would suffocate. It was incredibly hot wearing this puffy blue and white dress.

The fire made it even hotter.

Flames encircled the trunks of the great trees and devoured the fence-like blades of grass. The mushrooms released cloudy spores as she ambled past them. Birds, ladybugs, and other indescribable things flew out of the looming canopies overhead. It wasn't like they would be able to escape for long, Mikuru thought.

Wonderland was dying.

She couldn't quite remember how this entire thing had happened. She foggily recalled a filthy hole in the earth opening up beneath her feet to swallow her down. She'd fallen for who knows how long before slamming into the hard tiled surface of a kitchen. Stunned that she hadn't broken any bones, she found herself in one of those old-fashioned English dresses with an ornate knife in one of the pockets. She'd read the story when she was bored and knew all the characters. Even though she had never seen any of the theatrical versions, she knew it wasn't supposed to be like.... like _this_.

The flowers hissed and lashed out at her with their thorn-covered vines, almost like ravenous asps. They sneered at her from their petal-adorned faces. Mikuru recognized the faces of many of her former classmates in them. They guffawed rudely at her, called her a "horrid, little weed in the garden", and snapped at her with their fangs.

Wouldn't be the first time she was insulted for her looks.

Needless to say, she wasn't entirely depressed when the fire caught up and consumed them.

Mikuru headed past a stream bubbling coolly even in the intense heat. Large fish with tiny arm-like limbs under their mouths leapt about over the flat stones and snapped their huge teeth at the fleeting embers. Despite their ferocity, Mikuru found them oddly beautiful, what with their colorful purple and blue scales coating their bellies. Some swam in vain to jump up to a frothing ledge leading to a bigger pond to escape the angry flames that dared to dry up the stream; others had given up, opting to attack one another and devour whatever got in their way. One was larger than the rest and as black as night. It probed the waters with its tentacle-like arms, searching for food. She sighed in pity as she passed by them.

Everyone was feeling the destruction.

She saw a thin cat with a familiar smile on his lips, batting his half-crushed head in circles on the ground, a dull-eyed lavender rabbit with a pocket watch, mumbling about how the queen would roast her for dinner if she was late. There was a jade-headed Hatter, cackling madly as she haphazardly poured tea into the cup of a depressed little hare, who called for her big brother. Both had vile mechanical parts on their skin and as limbs, resembling horrid science-projects. Two twins, one with slicked silver hair and one with fair brown hair, angrily yelled at each other, rolling around in the dirt and ashes as they beat on one another with their fists. A pale green caterpillar sat on a mushroom, staring down at her with sad, glassy eyes through a cloud of smoke. A powerless duchess stood in the doorway of a burning house, observing the scenery with an uncaring look and a smile on her ashen face. Next to her, an orange and yellow lizard tugged on her sleeve, trying in vain to convince her to escape the blaze with her.

Mikuru could only look on with depression. It wasn't like she didn't want to help them. It hurt to see her closest friends turned into ugly parodies of fiction. But there was something she COULD do. Someone she knew who could fix everything.

She could go see Haruhi.

"Miss Suzumiya can help. Miss Suzumiya will fix everything..." she mumbled to herself as she stepped over the dead body of an ant the size of a full-grown man.

Many more littered the path in front of her, viscous red fluid leaking out of their decapitated and mutilated forms. Did bugs bleed? Mikuru hoped not. The knife in her pocket still glistened with the goo. Nice of Haruhi to give her something to defend herself with. She'd stabbed and sliced her way through a small platoon of guards shaped like playing cards an hour ago.

And she'd never even used a knife before.

"Almost... there..." Mikuru said to herself, wiping the sweat off her brow. The outline of a castle loomed a few feet ahead. Turrets reached up to pierce the once-blue sky. There was no turning back now. Mikuru approached the heart-shaped gate made of hedges and stopped.

A centipede the size of a school bus crawled over the gate and circled around her. It rubbed its claws together, before rearing up to reveal a large scar on its belly. Mikuru took out her knife, getting into a defensive stance. The centipede's eyes gleamed, as if seeming surprised that it was being challenged by its prey. Then something odd happened. The arachnid lowered its face right in front of her and just stared. Mikuru could now see the drool-coated mandibles and incisors lining up its maw up close. A feeler titled down and brushed her shoulder. Mikuru hastily inched away as the corners of the monster's lips slid upwards and its eyes darkened. Now, Mikuru could tell why she felt that familiar feeling.

It was sneering at her.

"I have to see Miss Suzumiya," Mikuru said simply.

The centipede blinked and lifted its coils, allowing her access through the gate. It gave her a look of scorn and approval and willingly slithered away into the flames of the forest.

"Thank you."

Mikuru headed through the hedge maze. Twists and turns awaited her at every corner. Gnarled branches tried to grab her at her body when she lingered too close. But Mikuru pressed on. Hearing a pained cry, she glanced up.

Two shapes darted at one another in midair. Mikuru peered through the thick smoke and saw what she believed to be an enormous eagle. The hooked beak, creamy and brown feathers, and great wings were that of an eagle, but emerging from its hindquarters was the tawny, furry hind-legs and tail of a lion. Snapping at its feathery neck was an equally vicious beast- a vaguely draconic fiend the same size, with a furnace in its stomach, steam emitting from steel pipes set in its back, azure scales, and motorized wings. Its deep blue eyes were set in a narrow skull, burning with sadistic glee as it clawed and spat molten flames at the other creature. There was a lull in the first monster's defense, and the second one took the opportunity to lash out with its thorny tail.

Mikuru cried out a bit as it crashed down in front of her. The impact jostled some leaves from the bushes loose, tangling themselves in its great wings. Up ahead, the dragon-like thing made a hollow sound like a bell- it was laughing.

"Are you okay?" Mikuru approached it slowly, cautiously, not even knowing if it was still alive or not. But there was a great groan, and the creature stood up shakily. Its fur and feathers were burned in some places, there lacerations on its chest and neck, and it was missing one of its claws. And yet it stood. The beast turned, saw her, and looked right into her very soul with its large, sad, brown eyes. It let out a noise that was a cross between a caw and a roar.

"I'll find her, Kyon. I promise," Mikuru vowed.

There was a screech from up above. The Griffin pointed at the left opening at the end of the passage, then took flight once again to continue its duel in the red sky with the Jabberwock. Mikuru continued on towards her goal. There was the sound of a shrill mechanical squeal of pain from up above and a squawk of triumph. As she walked, Mikuru smoothed out her skirt, and began to reflect.

She should have known this would have happened one day. Haruhi was a ticking time-bomb that long been awaiting to blow. Madness had long afflicted her at some point. It showed in her eyes and in the devious smile she had on her face when they all got together in the clubroom in the past few months.

And there she was.

Sitting at a long, pink table, all by her lonesome, in the middle of an emerald meadow. The flames that danced about almost seemed to be afraid to go even near her. An elaborate throne served as her seat. It was attached to the wall of a wide room, decorated with hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. It would have been quite a throne room if it didn't have only three walls and no ceiling. An outdoor palace.

"Hello, Mikuru. Glad you could make it," Haruhi said cheerfully from her seat. She was dressed just like the character herself. Golden crown, white and black skirt, heart-shaped corset, and a checkered collar rising up from behind her neck. She beckoned the red-head forward towards a plain wooden chair. A cup of steaming tea awaited her on the table.

Mikuru, still silent, sat down, and took her tea. "Hello, Miss Suzumiya."

It was quiet for a few minutes, except for the sounds of burning foliage and screaming. Mikuru felt her heart would explode. Thankfully, Haruhi shattered the silence.

"It's funny," Haruhi chuckled as she poured some tea for herself, "I hate the ordinary. I always loved things dealing with the supernatural...."

She gestured to the flames around them.

"And everything ends here with a fire. How lame is that?"

Mikuru swallowed a bit as Haruhi began to laugh. "How come you're doing this, Miss Suzumiya? Why didn't anything happen to me?"

The laughter in the queen's throat faded. "Well, Mikuru.... I guess maybe because I always liked you. You're sweet. Kyon and the others..... they can look out for themselves."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Mikuru. You're special. I may not always show it or say it, but I like you. You're a nice friend. I'm not."

"D-D-Don't say that."

"But it's true. I can't stop that way I act. No wonder Kyon likes you better. You can change."

"But you can changed all of this, Miss Suzumiya!" Mikuru objected, gesturing to the fire and destruction.

"Mikuru.... You just don't get it. I can't do _anything _here. I'm just as much as stuck in this dump as you all," Haruhi said, mixing her tea around.

"What do you even mean? Of course you can do something, Miss Suzumiya! You can still make this place fun and interesting. Don't let your feeling get a hold of you!" Mikuru protested, feeling a sense of hope when Haruhi lifted her head up.

"How come you're talking to me about this stuff? I thought you hated me," Haruhi said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't hate you!" Mikuru argued.

"Really?" Haruhi let out a cold chortle.

"I don't! Come on, Miss Suzumiya! You can... change everything! You're the queen! You can do anything here! Don't you want to go back and have fun with Koizumi, Miss Nagato, and Kyon? You don't... have to let your _problem _control you. You can beat it."

"You have no idea, Mikuru. I can't."

"Wha.... What do you mean?"

"See for yourself."

Mikuru looked carefully as Haruhi began to stand up out of her chair. There was the disgusting sound of fleshing moving together and stretching. It was strange, though, as it seemed Haruhi looked a bit taller than she remembered her. Mikuru's jaw dropped as it looked like Haruhi wasn't even touching the ground with her feet. Like she was floating...

Then Haruhi came out from behind the table and turned around.

Mikuru almost gagged.

"See, Mikuru? I'm just as trapped here as you all are. I just decided to accept it. Thanks for trying to help me," Haruhi said as she was lowered back into her chair.

The gag in Mikuru's mouth became a sigh that escaped out of her mouth as she realized that it wasn't the real Haruhi she had been talking to. Just a puppet. The mass of pink molted flesh that stuck out of her back and led into the dark hole of her throne were a part of the _real _Haruhi. It must have taken quite a lot of mental trauma for her to have changed her body like that. Whatever lay on the other side of the throne was an angry, sadistic thing bloated with vanity and nourished by a constant diet of self-doubt and obsession.

A true monster- just like Mikuru always knew she was deep inside.

She should have known she couldn't have changed anything. She was just stupid, cutesy, air-headed Mikuru. The toy. The damsel. The slut. The girl who everyone love to hate and hated to love. She-

Mikuru blinked. Had she ever had those thoughts before? Not until she came here. And just like her, Haruhi was a prisoner of her own madness. Maybe they were more alike than they thought they were. It then occurred to Mikuru that Wonderland wasn't a mad place anymore thanks to Haruhi.

It was _insane _now.

And maybe, just maybe, Mikuru and the others were a little insane themselves.

"Some sugar for your tea, Mikuru?"

"......................Yes, Miss Suzumiya. I'd love some."

The girls smiled to one another as they sipped their tea. Just a simple tea party, nothing more. Mikuru drank her tea slowly, wanting to take in the flavor, when she saw Haruhi turn to the side and smile. She raised an almost limp-looking arm. Like a marionette.

"Look, Mikuru," she said airily.

Mikru followed Haruhi's gaze to the right side of the garden. Several card guards and insects lay dead after a furious battle with each other in front of some uprooted hedges. Weapons and severed limbs lay about them. Blood flowed freely from their wounds and stained the petals of the fallen white roses around them a deep crimson.

"Isn't it beautiful, Mikuru? The roses are finally red," Haruhi said with beaming face.

"They sure are, Miss Suzumiya. They sure are," Mikuru agreed, not being able to keep her smile from widening.

They sat in their chairs, marveling the beauty of the roses.

And as they did, Wonderland burned to ashes all around them.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. Probably the first time anybody's done this version of Alice with Haruhi. Suits her in a way. Sorry there's no explanation for how she went nuts. Use your imagination! And if you were confused by the last scene, Haruhi's insanity basically took on a form of its own and used her as its own toy or something like that. Hence the tentacle. **

**Send in your thoughts.**

**And thank you for reading. **


	4. Under the Big Top

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: This one stars the Student Council President as a character. Since he doesn't have a name (or has been given one yet), I gave a new role to him here. In other words, he's still a nasty piece of work.**

**The idea came to me a while after I listened to the Vocaloid song "Dark Woods Circus". Very eerie to hear. I know it's been done for other fandoms here, but I haven't even seen a Haruhi version so I decided to try and be one of the firsts. **

**And circuses are terrifying when you're young. **

* * *

Far from the small, sleepy town, where mothers and fathers had their precious sons and daughters all tucked in bed for the night, there was a massive forest. It was a frightening place, with its twists and turns, brier patches, and mysterious animals that seemed to creep out when the sun had gone to sleep.

And at the far end of it was a circus.

Right in the center of a grassy field sat an orange and yellow striped tent, its pointed tip capped off with a small, red flag. An empty ticket booth sat at the entrance of the tent. Wagons and cages tied with colorful balloons were parked in the shadows of the trees surrounding the field. Each looked about as hollow and large as a whale skeleton. But further examination showed that they were inhabited by numerous shadowy shapes lying on knitted quilts, whose bodies rose and fell as they slept. Gleaming rides and machinery lay about on the grass.

The tent's interior wasn't a cheerful place either. Wooden bleachers lined both sides of the arena where the performances would take place. A huge pool of water sat between three rings drawn on the ground. Not a single spectator in sight.

The flap of the tent opened up, and a figure dressed in black holding a wooden cane strode inside the cavernous interior, accompanied by three smaller figures. The moonlight poured in through the opening, illuminating their figures. The leader was a tall male wearing a black cape over his shoulders, a top hat with a gold band encircling it, equally jet-black hair to match his piercing eyes, and a fancy suit as red as blood. A pair of tiny glasses perched on his sharp nose. The darkness hid the rest of his face.

"So what you three are telling me is the three of you have decided to run away from home? Is that correct? And if you don't mind me asking, what were your names again? My hearing isn't what it used to be," asked the man to his three guests, pulling to a sudden stop so that he could face them. All three were young children, each of varying ages.

"S-Sure... My name's N-N-Nakagawa. The kids always made fun of me... That's why I wanted to come to the circus," whimpered the first child, a small boy with short dark hair. He looked to be about eight years of age.

"My name is Sakanaka, sir. My parents are always fighting with each other and never have enough time for me anymore. So I heard about this place and came with my friends," spoke a girl with light brown hair, who seemed about ten years of age.

Grinning, the man shook his head in understanding. "Yes. Childhood can be so unforgiving. Now.... what about you, little lady?" He pointed at the third child, the oldest one- a bright-eyed girl with long brown hair and an orange ribbon.

"I came here to see something interesting. I don't care about the legends people say about this place. They don't scare me. And neither do you," the girl haughtily replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She was no more than twelve.

"Oh? That's good to hear. It's not really a legend if it's actually true now, is it?" replied the man, lighting up a cigarette he pulled out from an unseen pocket. "What was your name, again?"

"Haruhi. Not 'little lady'. And what's yours?" Haruhi inquired, still keeping her steely look.

The man took a drag from his cigarette and blew out a perfect smoke-ring. He then lowered himself towards the trio so that he could smile at them. Even with the glowing embers, the smoke still hid his features from them. Up close, the children were able to smell his scent. It was an aroma of popcorn, apple-cider, cotton candy, wild animals, crushed leaves, and oiled machinery.

The smells of a carnival.

"Just call me the Ringmaster. Short and sweet. Right?"

Haruhi, Nakagawa, and Sakanaka nodded slowly in unison.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, let me show you around. I know that you three will love this place as much as I do," said the Ringmaster as he marched on ahead. The kids had no choice but to follow him past the pool and down a hall that led past the bleachers.

They headed past a room filled with animal pens and cages. Tigers, lions, bears, elephants, horses, small dogs, monkeys, and even a crocodile all lay asleep in their retrospective quarters. Nakagawa and Sakanaka looked interested; Haruhi didn't.

"Boring," Haruhi said with a yawn.

"Sorry that all my animals are asleep. They've had a busy week training for their routines. And all my staff have retired for the day, so we can let you on any of our ride or sample any of the food. But don't worry; I still have something that might interest the three of you," the Ringmaster said as he noticed the bored look from Haruhi.

"Really? What?"

"You'll see in a second."

The group made their way to the far back of the tent that was lit with heat lamps, where a sliver of moonlight shone through the slim opening. The wagons and cages of the outside could be seen as silhouettes against the tent-flap.

"Here we are, kids," said their host. "Come out, my children. We have a few new guests who are considering to join our little 'family' here at the Dark Woods Circus. Heh."

He tapped his cane against the ground three times. There was the sound of clicking metal from outside, followed by footsteps on the wet grass. An older boy and a girl about Haruhi's age walked through the flap. Both had dark brown hair (the girl wore a side-tail and was bare-foot), glum expressions, and faded clothes. The three youths wondered what they should be expecting until they glanced at the boy's hands.

They both ended in scaly claws. His face also showed traces of grey-green scales on his cheeks and forehead. And further inspection on the girl showed that she had a type of webbing between her fingers and toes. Her clothes looked damp and her neck had gills lining either side.

"Good evening, you two. How's my brother and sister act going?" the Ringmaster asked jovially. The boy grumbled angrily at the person in front of him, while the younger girl hid behind her brother and began to cry a little.

"Haruhi, that stuff is all fake, right?" Nakagawa asked nervously. Haruhi didn't say anything.

More figures came walking through the tent-flap now. Next up was a girl with red hair dressed in a ball-gown that was black and white on opposite sides. The left side of her face was brimming with youth and vitality. The right side was a different story altogether; her skin was dried up and grey like a mummy. And the hair on her head was only red on the left- everything else was stark-white. Her lips were cracked and chapped instead of full and plump, and her eye was a coppery red color instead of a rich brown like the other. It was sunken all the way back in her socket, partially hidden behind her a few of her snowy locks.

There was a wild-looking girl with lengthy green hair that walked in on all fours. A heavy metal collar was wrapped around her neck. Sometimes, she'd be led up to the audiences up close by the collar, so that the bravest guests could try feed her food scraps and maybe touch her hair if they wanted. The jagged fang that stuck out of her upper-jaw was still coated with the blood of the raw meat she had just recently eaten. She was dressed in rags like the rest, but hers were ripped in some places, just barely staying on. Her yellow eyes flashed as she hissed at the children.

Something shambled at an awkward pace. It looked like another girl, but horribly changed. Haruhi thought she saw only purple hair, but then some blue and green came into view, too. The girl had three bodies and three heads all interwoven together. They walked along on two legs, but had five arms (one which dangled uselessly from the back). Their clothes were of different styles and sewn together at odd angles to fit their frame. The middle girl's head with purple was expressionless, the head on the left with lime-green hair was sniffling, and the head with dark-blue hair was fuming with anger.

Trailing after them all was another boy, but older, with sandy brown hair. His eyes were dark, and yet, a smile graced his lips. It was held up by several stitches on both corners on either side of his mouth. He wore a colorful uniform with a sword at his side in a sheath. A long chain was held in his left hand, leading back into the darkness behind him. Something lumbered forward.

Haruhi squinted to see what the chain connected to and her mouth fell open in amazement.

The last creature was certainly the most fantastic. It was, to put in easy words, a giant. Fifteen feet tall, shimmering blue skin, arms like tree trunks, steel bands around its wrists, ankles, and a bigger one around its neck. It was apparently sexless and had hands that dragged along the ground. The head was nothing more than a featureless lump set on broad shoulders with three glowing red circles burned into it. It moaned sadly for a mother it probably would never know.

Haruhi felt her blood run cold at the sight of the beast- she KNEW it wasn't a cheap costume. ".......Wow."

"Wow, indeed. He's our most interesting attraction. The crowds flock in to see those two fight each other. Strength against speed. Power against agility. But it's all in good fun. There's never been a casualty here. Yet, anyways," the Ringmaster seemed to mutter that last phrase under his breath.

The troupe of oddities lined up in a perfect row. Many of them stared at Haruhi and her friends with large eyes, as if they were going to hurt them somehow. The hulking beast just sat on its haunches like an ape. And whenever the man in a cape and top-hat looked at them, they flinched. The wild girl shrank back and the little girl and her brother shuddered. They were clearly afraid of the man for some reason.

"There you have it, kids. That's everyone. Quite a motley crew, wouldn't you say?" the Ringmaster asked with a grin.

"W-What are these guys?" Sakanaka inquired quietly, keeping her eyes locked on the giant.

"Isn't obvious?" the man asked with a twirl of his black cane.

"No. Why don't you tell us?" Haruhi said, curious for the answer.

Smiling, the Ringmaster strode over to the three friends. The smoke from his cigarette swirled around his face still and seemed to be playing tracks on their eyes. Nakagawa saw the face of a wicked old man with a hooked nose, Sakanaka saw a young man with shiny white teeth and healthy skin, and Haruhi saw a cruel-looking demon with fiery eyes and a mocking smile. The Ringmaster leaned in close to them and said the following:

"They're all freaks."

Sakanaka blinked a few times. "Freaks?"

"Yes, Sakanaka. Freaks. Plain and simple. No one else wanted them around. Nobody loved them. But I saw they all had greatness in them. I decided to love them when no one else would. So I welcomed them to join my circus. The crowds love them. You ought to hear how much they laugh at them." He chuckled as though he had told a funny joke.

"I don't think they like it here," Haruhi said, noticing how quiet all of the creatures looked.

"Of course they do, Haruhi. And do you know what's really funny? They all used to look a little _different _before they came here~..." the cloaked man whispered, winking a bit.

Haruhi's eyes grew wide before they narrowed. "No way...."

Nakagawa froze visibly. "I don't like it here anymore."

"Sure you will," the Ringmaster crooned. "You'd just have to adjust in a few ways. Just say you'll join and you're a part of the Dark Woods Circus forever! Of course, you're free to leave if you want. We'd still be happy to have you, though. Right, my children?"

The group of creatures said nothing- they just continued to remain as still as statues and watch.

"Not very talkative, but they open up when they go on stage. Now, then....." His gaze grew serious. "Who wants to join? Any takers?"

Silence filled the tent.

"I'll join."

Everyone's eyes went to Haruhi.

"You do?" Nakagawa whispered quietly to Haruhi.

"No. But if it's the only way I can help these guys, so be it," Haruhi replied back.

"Are you crazy?! You wanna spend the rest of your life living in a cage and being treated like an animal?" Sakanaka snapped, gripping Haruhi's shoulders. Haruhi shook her off and looked at her friends with determination.

"C'mon, guys? We can help these guys out if we work together! They'll die if they keep living this way," Haruhi pleaded to her two friends.

Nakagawa took one look at the misshapen crowd staring at him and shivered. Sakanaka shuffled her feet uneasily in response.

"The clock is ticking, kiddies. Made up your minds, yet? I haven't got all night. I have a circus to run. And we have to leave for another place soon," the Ringmaster said irritably, taking a deep inhale from another cigarette. He tossed it into the dirt and crushed it under his heel.

"Well, guys?" Haruhi asked once again. Nakagawa looked as though he were about to start bawling any minute now.

"I..... I..... I just want my mom and dad...." he sniffed. He felt something grab his wrist and looked up. Sakanaka held him with an understanding look.

"Haruhi, if we stay we'll end up like them. I'm not letting that happen. We _still_ have a chance to go back. Maybe we can find someone who knows what to do," the brunette whispered.

Haruhi let out a sigh. "By the time that happens, they'll have left for somewhere else. I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving. I have to help these guys. They don't deserve to spend their lives behind bars. They need to be free."

"I know you do, Haruhi. And you've always been a great friend to me. .....I'm sorry, too."

And without another word, Sakanaka and Nakagawa ran right out of the hole in the circus tent, past all of the performers, and into the night. No one stopped them. Haruhi hung her head down.

"So? What about you, little girl? Are you going to run away back to your mommy and daddy? Or are you going to keep your word?" the Ringmaster smiled sharply at her, his almost reddish eyes glinting.

Haruhi merely glared at him with hate-filled eyes. "I will. I'll stay. And I'll find a way to set them all free. Just you wait."

The Ringmaster smiled. "Lovely. I always wanted another daughter."

There was a red flash of light that filled the whole room, and a pained cry that was followed by the sound of someone collapsing to the ground.

"Mmmmmmhmmmmm.... They never learn now, do they, boys and girls?"

The Ringmaster laughed a low, spiteful laugh as the only exit to the safe and starry world outside snapped shut, and then strode away into the darkness, twirling his ebony cane in his spindly fingers. The tiny girl sobbed as her brother held her close against his chest, not wanting to look as the other performers and captives slithered, lumbered, and treaded forward towards the spotlight. They all looked on with sad, lifeless eyes at their new sister, who was now getting up from the ground.

A shadowy creature with jagged teeth, piercing claws, and untamed, golden eyes that danced ever so marvelously before them.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this update. The next chapter will be up in a while. **

**Reviews are welcome. **

**Thanks again for the faves, reviews, and alerts. **


	5. An Artist and Her Canvas

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: Written just for my friend, XxMisaki EndouxX. Hope you like this.**

**Some other stories have taken this path, but I wanted to show my own version. The infamous "What if Yuki didn't rescue Kyon in time?" scenario. **

**Unlike the other previous chapters, this one is pretty damn nasty. But I don't think it's quite **_**that **_**graphic to break the T rating. Let me know what you think, okay? I'll change it just in case. **

* * *

Beautiful.

There were no other words to describe the room.

Simply beautiful. A sheer masterpiece in her opinion. Without the dreary, drab world of static and data to obscure it, the sunlight really brought out the colors. Orange and yellow went very nicely with red in her opinion. She felt as though she could admire her work for hours.

It was practically a work of art.

The door to the classroom suddenly exploded forward, almost flying off its hinges. Yuki followed in after it and stopped in her tracks. She blinked repeatedly.

The petite humanoid had been too late. Everything about the room was _wrong_. An impossible amount of blood covered the floor.

And in the midst of the gore, stood her backup.

"Good afternoon, Nagato. You came just in time.... I think," Ryoko grinned, looking away from her work. The so-called classroom representative appeared to have been doused in blood from head to toe. Her blue hair now had a rusted color to it, the dark fluid staining her school uniform in great splotches. She might as well have bathed in it.

"What have you done?" Yuki demanded in her usual soft voice, a tone of menace intertwining with it.

"What does it look like I have done?" Ryoko asked placidly gesturing to the knife-her brush- jutting upward from a green blazer that lay on top of a desk. The floor near the classroom windows was where the blood was colored its darkest. There was an arm laying on someone's seat.

Yuki glanced at the mess for a few minutes, before looking back at Ryoko. "You didn't have to kill him."

"Oh, but I did. He was becoming a bit of a thorn in our sides, anyways. He was becoming lazy. Not even willing to evoke change in the subject anymore. But now, he's contributed to what I'm sure will be a massive explosion of new data to analyze from Miss Suzumiya. My faction seems to agree so. And besides, he was just seemed to be....... tired of life. Yes. I relieved him of that and anymore responsibilities," Ryoko said, satisfied at her answer. "Death... Such a silly thing to be afraid of. Would you believe me if I told you he cried a bit?"

"You're supposed to obey my commands. You will be terminated for this." Yuki's stare was like an arctic chill.

"Really now? Are you mad at me, Nagato? If you ask me, you're spending a little too much time getting to know humans, I think. You'll start acting like them soon enough," Ryoko answered without a single trace of sympathy in her voice. "Heh. Look at me. Chastising you for trying to act human. And do you really think getting rid of me would be a good idea? If I suddenly disappeared, people would immediately suspect me of doing all of this. And that would tie you in somehow. Too many people would start asking questions."

Yuki's hands clenched as Ryoko placed her own hands behind her back and began to stroll towards the window. She just stood there at the bloodstained glass, looking out at the sun-baked city that lay out there.

"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" the blunette said out loud. The way her back was turned, it was as if Ryoko was just _asking _to be attacked. Something deep down inside Yuki longed to move in and break her in two. But she couldn't.

Doing so still wouldn't bring him back.

Yuki swallowed the faintest amount of saliva in her throat as she asked in an almost unsure voice, "How much is left?"

The question seemed to break Ryoko out of the trance she was in and she turned her head over her shoulder, her face deep in thought apparently. "I'm not certain how much is actually intact. But there's still enough to cause quite a stir for you-know-you. I did leave him on her desk as you can see."

She fluttered her eyelashes daintily and walked slowly towards her completed work. Yuki's hands were now full-on fists. Her eyes were dark, having gone from a brilliant gold to a dull amber.

"We'll discuss this later." Not wanting to hear or see anymore, Yuki began to exit the classroom, her head hung at a slight angle if one could tell.

"You cared for him, didn't you?" Ryoko suddenly called out, without even turning around.

Yuki visibly stiffened and continued to walk out into the empty hallway, her footsteps eventually fading away.

Shrugging, Ryoko turned to her labor. Upon reaching her destination, she reached in a bit further and yanked out the point of silver by its black handle with a wet, slick pop. Examining the blade, she licked the blood coating the tip, ignoring the pain as its serrated edge pierced her tongue.

"Mmmmmmm... Tasty. Just like candy. Hee hee. I wonder, though...." Ryoko dispersed the weapon in a shower of sparks and leaned forward towards the pile of flesh. She didn't need her knife anymore- her hands worked just as good. It wasn't as though the authorities would find any evidence of her fingerprints on the body. They could just as easily be wiped away like the markings on a chalkboard.

She pawed through clothing and flesh until she found what she was searching for. Smiling, the girl with ocean-blue locks tugged until the object in her grasp tore free from its bindings.

A cold, lifeless lump lay in the palm of her hand. She brought it up to her face and sniffed it. A coppery scent filled her nostrils, bringing a smirk to her rosy lips.

"Well, Kyon, your sacrifice will enable us to further our research on Miss Suzumiya. But it's not all bad, though. Now you'll have the pleasure of spending all of your time with me. It was great to get to know your company. I hope you enjoy mine as well in a sense."

It slid down her throat easily enough, almost like a hot, sticky, red fruit plucked right off the branch of a tree. A single noisy gulp was all it took. For a brief moment, she thought she could still feel the organ pulsate as it descended. A miracle that she hadn't choked.

Like a beast content after a successful kill, Ryoko leaned against the desk of her former classmate and began to lick the remnants of blood from the tips of her delicate fingers, one hand held on her side. Blood oozed down Ryoko's chin like juice and onto the fabric of her sailor uniform, coloring the previous rusty shade with specks of bright red.

She cast an ebullient glance at the ragged remains beside her. "Well, what do you know? The girls were right about you, Kyon. You were sweet after all."

A delighted giggle soon arose out of her throat. And then Ryoko did that one thing that Yuki never did, the thing she saw all humans do, the thing that she still hadn't truly grasped the meaning of until this very moment.

She smiled.

* * *

**A/N: ****Yeah.... As you can see, I REALLY don't even want to explain this further then it needs to be... Ryoko may have only wanted to gather data on Kyon in the actual scene, but in my mind, she has some serious **_**issues**_**. There's a splash of her AU self in there if you can see.**

**Pretty much a chapter to show off one of Ryoko's best traits: Dangerous. **

**Review or else I will continue! **


	6. Hushabye Baby

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go. **

**A/N: Inspired by the famous work of R. Controversy entitled "Little Melancholies" which was a series of 101-word Haruhi characterization drabbles. Taking a break from the usual plots, I decided to make this chapter a series of 100-word drabbles on the fears of some of the characters. Not as deep, but I think these will get the point across. A bit of angst is here, so be forewarned.**

**And the reason I named the chapter title this way was pretty much based on the fact that a lot of lullabies we hear as kids have hidden meanings. And I wanted an innocent, yet somewhat sinister atmosphere to fit here for you all. **

**And why 100 words only?**

**Because I am lazy. That's why. **

* * *

A crowd of many familiar faces surrounds Kyon. They all look at him differently, but he knows what they all have on their minds. They are all depending on him. Kyon is the key, and he knows that it will always be his fate. That if he messes up anything with Haruhi, everyone will be the ones to pay the price. His mistakes will eventually be the death of them all. This is the burden he pays for being chosen- and it's crushing him.

"I can't let any of them down. Not now, not ever," he promises to himself.

**000000**

Itsuki can barely even stand up. The Celestials are coming at an even faster rate now. They are not giant-sized this time, but the size of full-grown men. They form a mob around Itsuki, and begin to savagely beat him down. He struggles for a bit, but his strength eventually ebbs away. And what's worse is that Itsuki can see _her_ watching him from afar with wide, terrified eyes. Two of her creations stand at her sides like pillars, keeping her safe.

"I'm sorry, Miss Suzumiya. I failed you," he wheezes out, just as a fist smashes into his face.

**000000**

Yuki watches as the world simply glides past her. Faster and faster it goes, like a child's top, but with no signs of stopping. The winter chill slithers up and down her coat-clad body like a serpent, unable to release its hold. Time is moving for her friends, and she simply watches them continue to go along with winter, even as their bodies and minds rot away, leaving only bleach white skeletons in their places. And only Yuki herself will know the difference. It's going to be like summer all over.

"I can't go through that.... not again," she dreads.

**000000**

Mikuru knows her role quite well. She's nothing more than an object for others to use. Be it a doll, a servant, or a bargaining chip, she knows what others expect of her. To be used is her duty. That's why they picked her for this job in the first place. Mikuru can't help it when they say she's weak- she just has no love for fighting. But the laughter, sneers, and scowls cut her worse than any blade could.

"I'm not useless! Please, everyone! Just stop laughing at me!" she begs above the laughter, tears streaking from her eyes.

**000000**

Tsuruya finds herself running through an empty hall of mirrors. In each, she can see her own twisted reflections glaring at her- mimicking how she feels on the inside. Tsuruya knows she keeps plenty of secrets locked away. It's always been for her friends and family. Fighting to keep them all safe can take its toll, and sometimes it feels like there's a beast deep inside her, just aching to claw its way out. She soon reaches the end of the hall with the biggest mirror, her reflection grinning down at her.

"I don't wanna be all alone..." she whimpers.

**000000**

There's only a pale gray sky over Kyouko's head now. Ever since the powers came back to their rightful owner, the world has refused to change. Water no longer ripples, the air has stopped, and even the warmth of the sun has left the world. Kyouko clasps her arms around herself to ward off the chilling mists. A world like this is worse than any state of pandemonium she could ever dream of. Is this what will happen if she continues to believe in Sasaki? Was _he _right?

"What if I am wrong?" she asks herself in the vast emptiness.

**000000**

He calls himself Fujiwara. Giving himself a new name of his own is the smallest amount of freedom he'll only ever receive. Going through time to right a wrong only causes more pain in the long run. Better to eliminate that feeling and concept forever, so that no one else can ever experience it like he has. Fujiwara struggles night and day against the enslaving machine, but only receives scars. His dream is fleeting from his grasp, and he's beginning to give up the will to chase after it.

"There's no such thing as free will.... is there?" he sighs.

**000000**

Kuyou wants to know why she can't feel. Joy, sorrow, love, and rage are foreign concepts to her. Every day, she sees human women and wonders if she should be jealous- after all, they can bear children. When Kuyou fights, she wishes she could feel the blows that rend and pierce her. Then maybe, just maybe, she could feel something. Pain would just suffice. It's only in this eternal void of darkness that she visits, that she can feel similar. It matches what her insides must look like.

She opens her mouth to contemplate, but no sound escapes from it.

**000000**

Sasaki slowly falls to the ground on her rear, clutching her head. All the power is surging through her brain. She feels like a ticking time-bomb. She never should have said yes to them. Never should have gotten involved with any of those people. Sasaki wishes she could laugh, but the pain is too much for even the lightest chuckle. A goddess? Ridiculous. But she wanted to make everything better. And now the world is being torn apart.

"I can't handle any of it.... I'm not strong enough.... Why can't any of you understand that?!" she cries out to nobody.

**000000**

Haruhi Suzumiya is dreaming. She dreams of a world where aliens, time-travelers, espers, and sliders can all live in tranquility with her. She pictures a planet where she and her friends can all live together and have endless fun and excitement. A kingdom filled with her heart's every desire. It does not occur to Haruhi that even a world filled with blissful light can also be home to the deepest shadows to ever coexist alongside them.

And so Haruhi continues to lie in bed and dream peacefully; completely oblivious and ignorant of the chaos and torment she causes around her.

* * *

**A/N: Not the usual bloody horror, but something I think we can all identify with. Who hasn't had a bad dream once in a while? And the last drabble kinda serves as a contrast to the others here. **

**Review and make me happy. And remember, readers. Listen to your bad dreams once in a while.**

**They just might be right.**

***insert obligatory evil laugh and lightening effects* **


	7. Wine

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: This chapter was actually a collaboration between myself and a fic-writer/friend of mine named Nukerjsr. He came up with the whole idea and wrote a majority of the story. I just helped with some action, a few gore scenes, and the ending part. :3 **

**Thanks again for lending your expertise, Nukerjsr. **

**Now enjoy our work.**

* * *

Within the walls of Tokyo's Fuchu Prison, a lone woman walked down a long corridor to the visitor's area. After months of intense bargaining and targeting, she would finally be able to complete one of her dreams of interviewing a serial killer.

Ryoko Asakura had done whatever she could to arrive at this moment. She had to work both sides of the journalism and the police spectrum to get this opportunity. Not everything she did was pretty, but that's how the business worked. It was nearly nothing but dirty deeds, knowing people and performing favors. She had nothing to fear in this type of business, as her mind and body were constantly in motion, like they had no off switch.

After consoling with the guards, she was given the standard details about her interviewee. Nothing about his personal history of course, but she was told about the procedures of what to do and what to say. There were a few topics that she was advised from talking about, but Ryoko wasn't worried. A wall of strong plastic would separate the two of them, but he apparently had the influence to drive anyone, stable or unstable, to suicide.

Ryoko flicked her hair to the side in confidence. Her data banks had information on people twice as scary and three times more sexually devious than this man. She walked to into the specially planned room for just the two of them. It was separated from the other prisoners and had secured surveillance over both people. Before picking up the phone next to the wall, Ryoko sat down gently in the chair laid out for her to take a deep analysis of the man.

He was the very same age that she was. Not that it was that surprising, considering that insanity could come in all types of forms. What was peculiar was that the level of impact that this man made was as big as that as the otaku murderer, possibly exceeding him in infamy. There wasn't much to distinguish him... he wasn't the most odd-looking Japanese male, even if he had sandy brown hair. But what was very interesting about him was that he had his eyes perpetually closed. Ryoko grabbed the phone, with her subject complying. She spoke in her generally relaxed tone.

"Itsuki Koizumi?" she asked.

"Yes?" he responded, a slow grin forming on his face.

"My name is Ryoko Asakura."

"Hello, Ryoko."

"I'm not sure if you were informed, but I wish to hear about your life's tale."

"Do you really wish to, Ryoko? My life is rather uninteresting." Itsuki kept his trademark cool.

"Is that so?" the woman responded to him, staying in the mindset.

"Go ahead and tell me why you are here. What makes little old me so fascinating? I'm someone who many people know about, but no one wants to think about. You wish to talk to me because?"

"Simple. I just wish to know the truth."

"How do you know what I will be telling is the truth?"

"I can assure you that I know all data on studying people's behaviors."

"Oh, Ryoko..." Itsuki bent his head towards her. "I'm not a person."

Ryoko held her ground by looking on at him with her unfazed appearance. She had every bit of knowledge on what atrocities he had committed, to the very slightest detail. But the one thing she didn't know, not that anyone else knew, was the motive. Everyone has a motive, even the people who go out to the street to take as many victims as possible. The hardest thing to figure out with this boy, was if he felt guilty about it. Even from watching of the tapes of his trial, Ryoko couldn't really figure it out.

Still, she flipped her hair and spoke to him bluntly. "What are you then?"

"I'm an amalgamation of transcendence. But being something such as that comes with unyielding levels of boredom."

"Boredom is shared," Ryoko responded.

"It's not just boredom. Desire, purpose, rage... and generally the feeling that the people around you could never understand what happens."

"Try me. I'm not all that different from you are."

"Really now?" Itsuki's grin started to rise.

"Sometimes I feel that I'm more efficient and reliable than any of my other colleagues. I've advanced past them in any possible way. How do you think I got here? I've made more connections and studied more stories than anyone at my age."

"Poor, poor Ryoko."

"What?" She was taken aback by his response.

"You are falling into similar traps that I did."

Itsuki's words started to seed into the journalist's mind. Could this murderer have some type of truth between his words? Was feeling guilty by giving this advice? Or is he simply toying with her brain? This could be the way to get to learn more about him. Still, she was starting to become more uncomfortable just by talking to the man.

"Not possible," Ryoko chirped.

"Anything is possible, my dear Ryoko. One day you are fine with the way life is treating you, thinking everything is going to be right..." Itsuki's expression shifted from a grin to a content smile. "But the next, you walk by and get into a life-changing accident. Or your perception starts to slowly make that shift upon learning that Santa Claus isn't real."

"I can assure you that everyone knows why I strived for my career and why I want to speak with you."

Itsuki shook his head in disapproval. Still, he felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. She could end up in here for all he knew, long after he would be executed. He could be wrong, but he may as well talk to her since Ryoko took the journey to get this far.

"Perhaps, I should tell you why I had the need to attack those students."

Ryoko blinked, pen and paper at the ready in her delicate fingers. "Go ahead and explain."

* * *

I was a regular kid. Never a model student, athlete, or future salary-man, but someone who still had a promising future. It was a few years before I entered into North High School, that I was entered in a group by my parents. It was an organization, no... that's not the right term. It was more of like a cult that had the belief that God was all around us.

We believed in general that everything has a spirit. But we believed that particular people had special spirits that could guide the fate of the rest of humanity. The group had their sights set on one girl in particular. I'm not really sure why, but it might have been due to how she had a depressed scowl at a young age. She was Haruhi Suzumiya.

I was enrolled in North High once my associates were prepared for me. I had a special soul as well, practically to be the St. Peter to this new god by helping her control her thoughts and needs. From learning about her strange quirks and boundless possibilities, I grew fond of her. More fond of her than one could see from my expressions. It was like having an infatuation with Death herself.

Which couldn't be more fitting. However, once she started to object to my advances or queries, she was bored with me. The support and understanding I gave to her meant nothing from my sheer, unflappable personality. Being kind and understanding from my teachings was clearly not important. She really had no idea how she was an important person to the world. But after being around her for an interminable amount of time…

I didn't care.

I had simply grown tired of this sordid club of hers. The same things happened every day. Despite all the changes Suzumiya yearned for in the world, we had barely made any. I was beginning to think that I should just go ahead and quit the club. Though Suzumiya looked to me for opinions and support for her plans, she would most likely replace me as soon as she could. The three other members she had included probably wouldn't mind at all. I was merely a tool in her array of instruments. I don't know why I still hung around after my interest in her affairs faded. I was simply looked at as that "Mysterious Transfer Student" and nothing more.

That's when it hit me. I had outlived my old calling. I had a new purpose to carry out. Along with Suzumiya, this club contained two very pure and nubile young women who had captured the hearts of many boys (and a few girls as I do recall). With such varying degrees of personality and strength of mind in the latter two, they must possess just as much spiritual power as Suzumiya. It was up to me, and me alone, to find a way to free the power that lay dormant in them. Their power would do the world no good if it was just kept here; moldering to nothingness inside them while the rest of the world suffered. Their power had to be set free. I had to squeeze it out of them like a poison.

I selected my first target immediately: Yuki Nagato. Suzumiya had dubbed her the SOS Brigade's 'silent character'. Small stature and lavender hair. She always had her nose in a book and rarely spoke much. She never spoke a word unless it was directly aimed at her, and even then, she only said as many words as she felt were needed. I decided to choose her first, seeing that how the two of us were never particularly close friends. We never actually talked or even had a full-on conversation. She gave me the same amount of respect that you would give to a potted flower. But then again, you only have to plant a small seed of turmoil to get a massive sunflower of bitter anguish.

By the time the week I spent planning my execution for Nagato, I decided to invoke it into action the following Monday. Getting Nagato to my house seemed simple enough from an outside perspective. I asked her to come over afterschool after our meeting concluded. Some lie about my computer having a bug in it. She was always a wizard with technology. I made sure that the other members did not see me chatting with her. The last thing I needed was someone like Suzumiya's favored member, another boy by the name of just Kyon, getting suspicious. He never much cared for me, and I knew that if anyone were to suspect me of having anything to do with Nagato vanishing after being sighted with me last, it would be Kyon.

It was about four when Nagato arrived at my front door. I won't lie to you, my nerves were absolutely shot. My knuckles were bone-white and I was pretty sure my knees were knocking together. She must have sensed my distress, but apparently thought nothing of it. This was actually the first time I had a girl inside my home-I lived alone, you see-so Nagato must have assumed I was nervous to be alone with her.

How right she was.

"What is the problem?" she asked, straight and to the point.

I smiled and guided her into my living room. "Just right this way. It keeps freezing at random points."

"I see."

I shut the door behind Nagato extra hard as she stepped in. The closer the target walked to an "X", the more your heart starts to tighten. Guiding her over to my computer, I pulled out the chair for her and turned the computer on. It whirled to life with a hum. I had a limited amount of time to act before Nagato caught onto my ruse. There was a brief moment as Nagato sat down in the chair that I considered backing out of this. What if she struggled? Shouted for help? Should I have waited until I made sure my neighbors were gone?

No, no. I had already taken the effort to advance my scheme this far. No time to back out now. It was now or never.

"Why did you call me?" Nagato asked me, her head pointing in the direction of my wireless phone on the coffee table.

I almost stuttered for a second, but eased my way into an excuse that she would have to buy. "You know so much about electronics, I saw no better person. No use in calling someone who would charge me when I could have a friend who could do it for free..." I smiled a bit larger at my little joke.

Nagato responded by turning her head back to the screen after what seemed like an eternity. I felt relaxed for a bit. Praising myself for keeping my cool, I headed in the direction of my kitchen, yelling to Nagato that I would fetch her a drink. She didn't even turn around. I nearly giggled at Nagato's ability to tune out the rest of the world, but I still took a silent stride for my room. I had kept a foot chest by my bed to a few specific tools. It didn't take my long to find just what I was looking for... a crowbar.

During my planning, I decided that I would need a weapon, sharp or blunted, to carry out my first exploit. Looking back, I realize how foolhardy I was. The small theft could have been easily traced back to me if someone had seen me in broad daylight, and snatching that crowbar away from the construction site at the corner. I just didn't have to constitution to buy one at the hardware store. I went there, I tried. I'd grabbed it out of sheer impulse that day, wondering what was wrong with myself.

But that never turned into an issue... I walked back towards Nagato, as slowly as I could. Every footstep I made was thunderous to my ears. I had an inkling Nagato could see me, but her eyes stayed still on that computer screen. I stood to her right, out of her line of vision, hefting the crow bar over my shoulder. The movement felt so natural that I thought the weapon was a part of my own body.

I swung that crowbar like I was aiming for a baseball. The hooked end collided with the side of Nagato's head, creating an awful noise. Like the sound ice makes when it's being ripped off a freezer. Her head sharply jerked to the left, and the rest of her petite body just tumbled out of the chair, and hit the floor with a limp, just like a feather falling. It was so sudden and powerful; I just about assumed that everyone in my neighborhood could have heard the noise I'd just made.

I dropped the bloodstained crowbar and knelt down. The spot where I had hit her glared back at me; it was a deep indentation that exposed just the smallest shard of bone. I was worried that I had only knocked her unconscious and that she might stir, but I felt no pulse at all. Nagato was as cold as a winter stone. She probably had no idea what was happening until I hit her. It was so instantaneous, it made me think... was it this easy? My breathing was excited, raspy, terrified. I had dreaming of the act of killing, but the actual feeling of it was... unparallel to anything I had ever experienced in life. Seeing Nagato's cracked pair of glasses lying a few feet from her face, I pocketed them- a trophy from my first kill.

No wonder nearly everyone thinks of doing this... it's inducing.

But now came the most pivotal part of my ritual... it is said that in certain island tribes of yore, the inhabitants often sacrificed their leader to the gods by burning and devouring the body soon afterward. All a sacred part of their way on 'freeing' the soul trapped within the cadaver. At first my mind was repulsed by the notion of such an idea, but the more I looked at Nagato's body, the more curious I became. Could I really perform such a deed that was more heinous than the one I had just done? The answer came quickly as I searched by kitchen for a strong enough knife.

I undressed Nagato after placing her atop my coffee table. If I looked at her from a certain angle and ignored the spot on her skull where the red blood intermingled with her violet hair, she would have looked as if she were asleep. That image made me all the tenser as I lowered the knife towards Nagato's left arm. Just a piece... just a piece was all I wanted to try.

I don't honestly know what I was really expecting. It didn't look any different from any meat I'd ever seen before that was sitting behind a window in a butcher shop. Like a beef of beef mixed with pork and a bit of shrimp. Regardless, I took my first taste.

It was... good in a twisted sort of way. I felt like a ghoul, but a homely flavor graced my taste buds making me forget my concern. Something similar to shellfish, how it tastes is good enough that it overcomes the peculiar texture. There was the accompanying, coppery taste of blood mixed in as well. But it was unsatisfactory and far too stringy. I took another piece but was not satisfied. Nagato was actually quite scrawny for someone with her looks, but all she ever did was remain glued to that folding chair during club meetings. Not very active at all, very little... anything.

Now I was faced with disposing of the body. I lacked the proper tools needed to actually break Nagato down into pieces big enough to fit into a container to keep her here. And I had no way of refrigerating a body. The neighbors would sense an aroma within a few days for sure. I was prepared for this scenario, though. I had staked out a place near the outer limits of the city where the trees and other plant-life were thick. The dirt was deep enough, too. Suzumiya had ragged us through that neck of the woods on a routine patrol. Several trash bags and moonless nights later with my items, and Nagato was out of the picture. Bless you, Suzumiya, for reminding of that place.

* * *

It didn't take me long to scratch that itch once again.

It was Friday by the time Suzumiya declared we search for Nagato. Word had come from her neighbor, Emiri Kimidori, that Nagato had never returned back to her apartment the day she left to meet me. Being a quiet person, Nagato never told anyone where she had gone, so I had nothing worry about. Of course, Suzumiya felt that it was up to her to figure out what had happened to her. Unless she had a bloodhound, I knew her search would be frivolous as usual.

But things began to go off-kilter as Suzumiya was, she started to ask each of us questions. She even went to Nagato's apartment and came back to school next Monday with a bag full of Nagato's possessions. She ordered that we root through them all for specific evidence like one of those insipid new cop shows.

"Yuki is a respected member of the SOS Brigade! No creepy pervert is going to take her away from us! I want her found or else heads will roll!" Suzumiya declared to us.

I admired the determination in her voice, but also rolled my eyes at it. I knew what had to be done. I had been hoping to save her for last, but plans change over time. Suzumiya's pride and insubordination was going to be her downfall and everyone knew it. I simply waited until everyone left the clubhouse until it was just me and the girl who I had lingered over for so long.

"Tell me, Miss Suzumiya," I said with as much interest as I could muster. "Do you think Miss Nagato is really gone?"

She stopped staring at an old notebook of Nagato's and only glared at me. "No, Koizumi. Yuki is out there somewhere. We just need to keep an eye out for her. Maybe somebody saw her leave the building. Or she picked up a ride. The bottom line is that there's still a chance to find her." She gave me a million-watt smile next as though nothing could go wrong. Very convenient how it started to rain outside with her sun-envying deposition.

I always admired the way Suzumiya's smile lit up a room. Unfortunately, she was going to have the same amount of chance Nagato had in a few minutes. I picked up a scarf belonging to our former 'silent character'. It was rather long for her, and pink to boot. It was odd someone so dim owned something so colorful. An idea slowly started to form as I held the cloth betwixt my two cold hands.

It would be risky, but when would another opportunity present itself like this? No doubt that if I tried to lure Suzumiya to my apartment, she would alert everyone within a five-mile radius. Besides, she never showed much interest in me anyways.

"It's getting cold outside. Here, Miss Suzumiya. Let me." I began to drape the long piece of cloth around her neck.

"It's fine, Koizumi. I don't need you dressing me like my mom. I'll tough it out." She began to reach up to remove the scarf.

"No, Miss Suzumiya. I insist."

The last utterance came out with more force than intended, but nevertheless, I took the scarf and wrapped it under and over Suzumiya's neck, following suit with the second half of it. In less than four seconds, I ended up with a piece of scarf in each hand, and Suzumiya's neck caught in between. It was _much _longer than I thought, but then again, I used a cloth and not a garrote.

It was at this moment that Suzumiya must have noticed something seemed off about the entire situation. Perhaps it was my demeanor or the atmosphere. Maybe she had somehow guessed that it was me who had done away with Nagato. Then again, she could of just been paranoid, she never looked at things simply. Whatever the case, Suzumiya looked straight into my face, her expression unreadable for a second.

I tilted my head slowly, in amusement and I tightened my grip.

Suzumiya's eyes had nearly widened so large that I could see the inner, red walls in her head. And for only a second in all the time I had known her, I saw a bit of fear in Suzumiya's eyes. Pure, primal, one-hundred percent _real _fear. Her entire body tensed up as though she didn't know what to do. I smiled good-naturedly as always.

And then I began to _pull._

Suzumiya began to try and shove me away but I plowed right into her, pinning her against the wall. Using the scarf's ends as mock-reins, I began to steer her and shift my hands around the scarf so that I was now behind her. She bucked and kicked every which way like a wild horse. At some part during the struggle, I took both scarf ends into one hand and plucked off my tie with the other, using it as a makeshift gag in order to shut her up. I crammed it into her maw as far I could. Nevertheless, Suzumiya put up quite the fight, even trying to bite me.

"Are you having fun, Miss Suzumiya? Isn't this the kind of exciting thing you always wished to be a part of?" I asked. I could only grin as she tried to mouth out something, but just couldn't hear a voice. "Lovely."

Suzumiya gasped something inaudible. I pressed against her back with my left knee, grinding her spine against the wall. I don't know how long we kept this entire masquerade up for. Then the show veered towards its end. Her body, once pounding and struggling, started to become limp and tranquil under me. Weak and red-faced, I turned Suzumiya so I could look her in the eye.

I never, _not once_, looked away from Suzumiya's face as I killed her.

It was as her breathing slowed that I saw the most amazing thing: The alteration from life to death. I was able to witness her eyes fade from a shimmering gold to a dull amber, her very _soul _exit her body. But just like a shooting star, the moment was over. Suzumiya's eyes were wide open, but not moving at all. Just... still and quiet. I had to prepare the other things I stole from the construction site, a wheelbarrow and a tarp. Quite the convenience that I didn't live all that far from the killing grounds.

Once she was home, I immediately prepared her, just like a passionate chef making a round at a supermarket. I decided to start with her thigh, then a piece of her arm. As I predicted, Suzumiya was much tougher then Nagato. No... gamey was more like it. A bit of a blend of tender and tough. Even when cooked, it was almost like jerky to me. Still, the taste was good in its own unique way- just like Suzumiya herself. A bit mild, but juicy nonetheless. Almost peppery. While I found Suzumiya excellent in person, her taste was subpar, at least compared to Nagato.

Like Nagato, I left the face untouched and took my trophy- Suzumiya's favorite yellow ribbon. It had some sort of significance to her, but I don't know what or why. I didn't have the heart to further befoul such an exquisite creature...

* * *

The next target was chosen quickly.

Mikuru Asahina. Suzumiya had technically forced her to join our club. With her doe-like eyes and soft, gentle curves, Suzumiya explained she would be just the thing to attract more members. After Suzumiya stopped coming to the meetings for about a week or so, Asahina and Kyon became worried. Getting alone with her would require more finesse.

This needed a different approach.

After a rather quiet meeting in the clubroom on a Wednesday, I asked Asahina if she would like to spend the night over at my place and allow me to cook for her. She declined at first, but by playing off her fear of being alone, I sealed the deal by getting her to agree on Thursday. Before I knew it, she showed up at my doorstep at mid-evening, dressed exquisitely in an adorable outfit.

The table was set for two and had a single candle placed in the middle to add some atmosphere. I sat on the left like a proper gentlemen-napkin folded in my lap and elbows off the table-and Asahina sat on the right side-hands folded across her lap where her napkin lay-looking positively radiant. I could see why she was so sought after. Even though I had placed a bottle of wine from the corner-store on the table's center, Asahina settled for some fruit-juice instead. I fetched it for her and we ate in silence for a while, her picking at her food and glancing around, as if looking for invisible enemies.

"This tastes a little funny," Asahina remarked, sipping the fruit juice I had given her.

Well, it should have tasted funny. I did add my own special touches to it, thanks to the local drugstore. I forget what the brand of pill I gave her was, but it was enough to loosen her up. I didn't want Asahina to pass out.

"Maybe it's expired. I apologize for that. I'll go and get you something else," I offered helpfully. Asahina nodded slowly in response as I stood up from the table.

"Some water would be nice," Asahina called, her head drooping somewhat. Quickly, I stepped into my kitchen and turned on the sink. As the water ran, I withdrew the knife I had used on the other girls and made my way over to Asahina again, the utensil hidden behind my back. She didn't seem to notice the absence of the water she had asked for.

"I'm feeling really tired..." she drawled, her cheeks rimmed with a pink hue.

"Here. Let me help you up," I said, the moment she started to shut her eyes.

I positioned myself behind her and grasped Asahina's shoulder tightly with one hand, as if to steady her. Asahina slurred out a thanks to me and started to awkwardly rise out of her seat. Poor thing still didn't have a clue. A second later, a scream tore itself out of her throat as soon as the blade entered.

She was pinned securely against the table, blood running in a thick river down the back of her dress. She must have been in too much pain and confusion, that she probably forgot the option that she could probably fight me back with the array of cutlery I had left on the table. Her loss.

"K-K-Koizumi!" she choked out in that ever-present stutter of hers. "Why are you d-doing t-this? I t-thought that..." She broke off in a gag as she started to thrash around in her seat.

"What? You thought we were friends? We_ are_, Miss Asahina, but I find that you are a special friend. If you weren't, I wouldn't be doing this for you," I told her calmly, driving the knife into her more forcefully this time, keeping her steady with my other arm wrapped around her neck.

She screamed even louder than before that I thought she'd might alert a neighbor. I was forced to move my arm from her neck in order cover her mouth to drown out the shrieks. This gave her of a chance to struggle, but it the end, it came out in more of a series of twitches and spasms. She grabbed at my arm with her nails, and dug in harder than I thought she could. I slid the knife out and struck the red spot again. I kept at it until Asahina's cries became a series of low gurgles. Her breathing ceased and her head knocked over the glass of wine I had placed out for her. I got to work quickly enough, stripping the bloody blouse and other clothes from Asahina's body. I took a step back to size her up. I was far more attracted than those silly outfits perceived.

From her perky, round breasts to her creamy-white thighs, Asahina's proportions looked more like those of a grown woman's than a blossoming girl's. Suzumiya obviously knew what she was doing when she recruited her. I spent a moment taking in all of the luscious features that any boy my age would have wanted to see. Asahina had a staggering amount of admirers at school compared to Suzumiya and Nagato. They'd step over their own mothers just to get an eyeful of what I was seeing.

But I must say that no matter what you think of me, I did not violate Asahina's body. Not in a more disturbing way than one would suspect towards a teenage girl. Tempted as I was for a second, I did not lower myself into the same standards that many thugs and lowlifes share. I was hungry for her body, but not in the same sense that others were for.

Before getting to work, I took my favorite knife and withdrew what I decided would be a suitable trophy to remember her by. Not a possession owned by her like with the other two girls, but a piece of her body. I removed a small piece of her skin. Why only that? Because Asahina bore a very uniquely-shaped birthmark on her bosom. Shaped just like a star. I took it from her and decided to preserve it in a carefully sealed container so it wouldn't have time to decay. I wanted to keep it in its pure, sublime condition for as long as I could. Even as I stared down at my new prize through a layer of blue plastic, I couldn't help but think that Asahina's birthmark now looked liked a flower pressed tightly within the pages of a memory book.

I quickly got down to business a moment later.

I never thought Asahina would taste so... so... nice with aromatics. I had looked into the stories of previous cannibals, where they said that seasoning this meat was similar to that of a fish. I stuck with citrus flavors and herbs for the most part. I'd tasted lamb before, but this was something else entirely. So soft and rich like a fillet. Pleased with myself for the night's events, I roasted her parts during the meal. Despite the wine being of poor store quality, Asahina's flavor made it all worthwhile.

"Here's to you, Miss Asahina," I told her body, raising my glass to her.

It was good... very good. So _damn_ good. In fact, so delightfully tender and delectable was Asahina that I decided to go back for seconds. A piece of her other breast I think I chose to carve. Kyon always told me that he found Asahina sweet and delicate.

She really was after all... even I felt a little remorse with so much mutilation.

I gave her the same treatment that I given the other girls after I had had my fill. Placed her into the ground in a several bags next to Suzumiya's resting place. Asahina was never quite that tall, so squeezing her into it left little difficulty for me. I left her face unmarred as I had did with Nagato and Suzumiya. Too beautiful even for my practice to touch.

Three radiant angels all in a row.

* * *

After being absent from school for two days without a note of any sort, Asahina's disappearance hit the school like wildfire. Both the male and female student bodies assumed the worst and began to spread many rumors around that her departure had something to do with Nagato and Suzumiya. The most notable reaction of all had to be Kyon. He just looked so... gone…all dead in the face. When I tried to approach him, he turned away from me and stalked off to parts unknown. I had no bad blood with Kyon, I began to debate on whether or not he should be the next one to go. I had spent so much time talking to him about his own weird obsessions with philosophy and boredom.

I was feeling really confident after my latest accomplishment. Asahina was the tastiest morsel yet, and somehow she felt the most fulfilling. It was like her entire existence was to bow and be molded by the hands of a man. Something about stealing away her preciousness from the entire school had empowered me to greatest extent. The clubroom was going to be empty, but I was walking to it anyway with an amazing sense of pride.

But in hindsight, I had no idea why I didn't see this scenario coming. Being on some type of ethereal high had completely clouded my vision. The day after my triumphant victory over the opposite sex had severe consequences. I opened the door to the SOS clubroom, but I found that the door would only barely crack open. It took me a while before I ended up kicking the door. Once then, I found the terrifying reason to why the door hardly budged.

Kyon's body was limply pressed against the glossy wood door. Everything spiraled down the second my eyes laid on his purplish-brown face. His neck was attached to the doorknob, thanks to an elastic rope he must have grabbed from the physical education building. My hormones were fluctuating once again, but this time they were fueled by stress. I could feel myself becoming very weak and everything I had performed was going to be exposed.

I spent most of the day sitting in that room with Kyon's corpse. My brain just rattled with ideas back and forth with ways to handle the situation. Fortunately, Kyon's body, that was laying listlessly on the floor, wasn't emitting any odor or fluids to give away his location. That thought gave me a very conniving plan... something that I should of considered to do with the carcasses of my previous victims.

I spent the night at the SOS Brigade room, waiting for most of the students to go away. It was not like I had a proper so-called family that was going to show any concern. I strolled down to the chemistry department of North High, with my backpack in tow and empty to steal all the necessary materials. My silver tongue came to great use that day, being able to con my way into the lab's inventory room for a fire extinguisher.

No, I didn't need a fire extinguisher; that was just an excuse. What my mind was set on, was two gallon jugs of hydrofluoric acid. I had watched on television that acid was guaranteed to be the best way to dispose of a body. But what made hydrofluoric acid so special, is that it wouldn't melt through specific types of plastic. All I had needed to do was go back to the hardware store and look over their types of containers.

I walked to the hardware store from the school once the acid was safely tucked away back in the clubroom. I had a few hours before the moon would rise, so I could get everything finished before tomorrow. I had walked into the store, prepared to buy the container. But looking back, I feel a tad melancholic that I didn't spend enough time in there. The store owner seemed really considered to strike up conversation with me. Who would of known, that that would have been one of the last times I would talk to someone normal.

"Good evening," he spoke, while I simply waved back at him. His tone turned into a bit of a snark. "Going to buy something this time, or just curious?"

I felt so flustered by his need to talk; I just said the first thing that came to my mind, thinking a little bit of humor would ease the situation. "Well, I'm not exactly sure... so I guess that would make me 'Buy-Curious'. But could you tell me, where do you keep the plastic storage bins?"

Rather than a slow chuckle, I received a cold glare from the man, as though he had somehow guessed what I had done. "Oh, those are on Aisle 7," he responded plainly, the sudden rise of fear in my mind quickly washing away.

Ah, Aisle 7. I remembered walking into the row of shelves that was directed for several types of plastic containers. The colors were ranging from blue to white. I looked over the largest ones I could find, checking the symbol on the bottom to make sure they were the right kind. I still had my concerns. I would put my body in the largest container, to still find that my legs would hang out from the edge. Good thing that the store was completely barren, or else people would be asking questions.

To be honest, I'm surprised I wasn't questioned about being a bit off sooner. No one questioned why I acted the way I did or why I always had specific mannerisms. They thought I was hiding something else with my consistent optimism. Only Kyon knew how I was when I was not in Suzumiya's presence, but I still think he didn't know the whole, ugly truth.

I bought the container and quickly went back to North High to complete the mission. It wasn't all that complicated, all the students had left, so I had no trouble moving the body. It took some time, but I crammed Kyon's corpse within container and closed it up. He had looked so peaceful... like a portrait of a grown man within a plastic womb. I put on the lid on the container and started my trek to the roof.

It appeared to almost be too easy, with Kyon safely tucked away on the roof, and me slowly pouring in the two gallons of acid. Everything was starting to go in affect as the body gave off the appearance of burning bubbles. I didn't want to watch the process, so I went back into the SOS Brigade clubroom to think about everything I had done. I sat in the metal chair I normally found myself in. Even when the room was filled with bright light and the wonderful characters I knew, my feelings of incompletion still lingered on.

I was thinking about what had happened over the mere course of three weeks. Did I regret over what I done to the four people I knew so dearly? Not really... I don't think they really would of cared if I had been the one to disappear. Suzumiya had ignored my advances, Nagato always had a blank expression towards life, and Asahina, like everyone else she knew, feared me like I would violate and control her on one rainy day.

...Funny how she was correct. But in the end, my thoughts revolved more around Kyon. The girls' deaths were planned, bloody... _astonishing_, but Kyon's suicide, I should have seen. Come on, the only reason he comes to this insipid club are for the women. He probably thinks Nagato is cute in that glasses-girl kind of way and Suzumiya is like the weird girl who intrigues you because she's so weird. Oh, she was such an amazing specimen for that reason... But there's no question he would want to ride Asahina like his finely-tuned bicycle. She's the only thing that would get him through the day at times.

And I... stole that away from him. Huh, how peculiar. At that point, I wished I had kept my mouth shut and was sitting in the Brigade Chief's chair.

The putrid remains of Kyon had dropped down from the ceiling next to the door like some rotten stink-bomb. An uncomfortable splat echoed through the SOS clubroom along with large parts of muscle, bone, and organs. Red blood lines painted most of the room like a Jackson Pollock painting. Traces of the remains were stuck on my school uniform, and would remain there forever.

I had to curl up into a ball... I went to the opposite corner of that glorious mess and silently wept. What could I have done wrong? Was I going to able to cover this up? For the first time in my life, I had actually felt doomed. I began piecing together the reasons to what had happened. The horrendous stench or the grotesque sight of the body wouldn't keep my active mind from moving.

After much consideration, it had to be the plastic. I was in such a rush; I must have forgotten to get the right type of container. Why didn't I buy two? I could have just... found some type of cleaver and hacked up Kyon by the torso. Hydrofluoric acid wouldn't melt through plastic, but it would melt through rock, metal... ceramic. And why didn't I just stay on the roof and watch for trouble? No, I wouldn't have been able to see the acid hitting the ceiling until it was too late. From looking at the hole, I could tell that the acid was focused around melting the body from the center.

...How could I have screwed up on such a major level? Ugh, it was so obvious! Why did I have to melt him on the roof? It wasn't like I couldn't have hid Kyon's body somewhere on the school grounds! North High isn't one of those schools filled with metal detectors and drug dogs! But... it may turn into one now.

I just took that time to sit in silence over what I could do. Get some bleach and sterilizing material and cleaning supplies, I might be able to fix that situation. Sadly, someone had to get in my way. I remember it was only a few minutes after I had calmed down and thought of ways how to handle the situation. That's when I heard her voice...

"Oh, my goodness, what is that smell? It's like megas stinky, smoky cheese!" a girl said from the other side of the wall.

All I could think to myself was... damn. Left the door unlocked. That's just the icing on the cake, isn't it? May as well had to go all the way since I had made such foolish little mistakes. It was time to return to my regular facade into an award-winning performance. Tsuruya cracked the door open slowly, fearing the smell would be overpowering for her. The door then burst open, assuming that she saw the red that was splattered across the walls.

"Wh-What happened?" Tsuruya screeched. "Koizumi? Are you okay?"

I didn't respond, I just audibly started to tear up. The sound of tears is rather foreign to me now. I don't even recall my eyes being as wide as they were on that day.

"Why are you crying, nyoro?" Tsuruya responded.

"I'm the loneliest person in the world..." I muttered out.

Tsuruya was quick to respond from that. Someone so positive almost had a programmed answer to angst. But I sincerely doubt she had a response to madness.

"Lonely? You have plenty of friends!"

"I have no friends!" I shouted at her.

At that point, Tsuruya knelt down to me. I lifted my hands away from my face to see that we were at eye level. Life works in mysterious ways. It was almost like, if I was going to go down this path, I was going to be showered in a parade as I went down it.

"Why not?" she asked.

I didn't grin, I didn't make a snide comment like the normal Itsuki would. I looked her dead in the face and told her the stone cold truth.

"I-I..."

Tsuruya leaned in a bit closer. After staring into those topaz eyes long enough, the words flew out of my mouth like a 747.

"I keep eating them."

The green-haired girl's jaws nearly unhinged from that simple little utterance. It was kind of funny that she reacted that way. Not that I didn't expect her to be mortified, but I finally got a chance to get a good look at that fang of hers. I really expected it to be bigger, _sharper_.

But then again, I learned the truth after much dissection.

Before she could back away, I grabbed her with full force and slammed her into the wall. Blunt trauma isn't the best tactic for murder, but it is very good at disorienting the target. She was on the floor, crying, with just one quick bash. I couldn't believe how easy it was. There was a struggle, but one can't argue with fast results. Having that absurdly long hair and exposing forehead made it so easy to control her.

In ten minutes, Suzumiya's desk was redder than the mangled remains of her number one lapdog. It was a beautiful, glorious mess that I had painted towards the school. North High would be remembered for ever for this... for my creation. My endorphins were firing at full force, engorging my pride with the mark I would leave on humanity. It was perfection... and I just had to fulfill my final duty that I had admitted to Tsuruya.

Hunters celebrate themselves by hanging their prey on the walls and doing what they feel like with the remains. They have no shame of going into the fullest detail to describe their experience. My trophies were all hidden at my house, except for my most recent kill. I had to savor the moment. Food poisoning didn't concern me. That would be a laugh... the first man dead from cannibalism-related poisoning in the modern day.

I took a while to do any separation from the torso from the lack of sharp objects. It was completely nightfall before I had any work truly done. Once I had one of Tsuruya's slender legs within my paws, I had to gaze at it in awe. Her legs were the most tone and lean of all. It was a shame all that hair had covered up the true beauty of her figure. She didn't have the traits of a sedentary lifestyle like Asahina or Nagato. It was a fantastic balance of texture to fat, like nice tuna sashimi.

I may have been fueled by serotonin that day, but I will never get those eight hours of full pleasure. No tools, no fire... just like a caveman in complete desperation. The suffering of others had brought me true bliss, within its purest and most primal form.

An army had to drag me away from that scene, but all I could think about was the taste that would fully remained trapped within the walls of my being. Soft, tender, luscious... all words not powerful enough to describe the feeling. One touch of the girl's flesh to my tongue, and my mind was overpowered by the simplicity of the moment.

"Yes..." I chanted to myself, invigorated from her body. "Oh, yes! It's even better raw!"

My final words, echoed through the halls of North High.

* * *

At that moment, Ryoko felt utter turmoil from the mere words of Itsuki Koizumi. Her eyes were uncharacteristically shuddering, like she discovered the Ark of the Covenant. Just thinking about the imagery from when that poor girl was eliminated would give Ryoko nightmares, like the days she spent preparing her mental constitution by watching French horror films. Her thoughts had been scarred, but not just from the stories.

Itsuki, in mid-storytelling, had changed dramatically. His cool demeanor had seeped away just from the visual thoughts of the girls' flesh. He was perspiring and his tongue would slowly but surely exit out of his mouth, like a starved dog. Ryoko's movements were mirroring with the murdered, as for once he could finally get a peak at his eyes. And he had eyes that looked like they were never meant to be seen.

The mad eyes of a killer.

Ryoko knew at that moment that she had to leave. She had all of her information now, but any more seconds with this man would bit by bit take away her brain cells. The journalist tried to steady her hand and scribbled down the rest of her notes. At the beginning, she had been transcribing every single word with her perfected, mechanical writing. But page by page, her writing would slowly start to skewer. Her final pages had dialogue that only she could read. She packed her bags away and quickly spoke before dashing off.

"Umm... Thank you for your time..." Ryoko said quickly.

She slammed the phone against the wall and immediately headed for the door. Itsuki responded with his eyes, as he kept her gaze on the woman's filled business suit. It could be the very last time he would be able to see a young, supple, female specimen, so he had to savior the moment.

Ryoko had severe trouble trying to leave the jail. She grasped on the police officer's arm with all of her might as she was escorted from the prison corridor back to the main gate. The calls of the prisoners that didn't even scathe her were now piercing her like a thousand knives. They _all_ had the desire for feminine body parts. Once Ryoko reached the gate, she signed her wavers and immediately drove off into the sunset. Taking one last look at the prison, she had the feeling she would never have to see it again.

It was evening by the time Ryoko climbed the stairs to her apartment on the top floor. She now regretted purchasing a place on such a lonely floor. All the lights were turned off, further creating an aura of extreme loneliness.

_No one would argue from me leaving there so suddenly, I had enough for my story, _Ryoko thought with a shudder. She shakily inserted her keys into the lock in front of her apartment and opened her door. Shutting it behind her, she flicked on the lights in her apartment. Changing out of the stuffy business suit she had been wearing all day long and into more comfortable clothes for indoors, Ryoko ate a quick dinner, made somewhat of an effort to watch T.V., and took a refreshing shower in an attempt to wash away the mental anguish from her body. Drying off, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of fear from earlier. How easily those girls had been led to their deaths.

_He was right about one thing, _Ryoko thought, staring at her troubled expression reflected back at her in the bathroom mirror. _He definitely wasn't a person. He was a monster, through and through. _

Checking the clock, she saw that it was still early; not even midnight yet. Her deadline wasn't for another four days. There was still some time to get her story done. Booting up her monitor, Ryoko looked over her notes, eyeballing the way her neat penmanship descended into a sloppy mess. Tying her hair in a ponytail, she began her task.

Ryoko glanced back from her Word document to her monitor every few seconds she could. She typed up the emotions each of the girls went through as Itsuki eliminated them, how his warped view of the world was demonstrated, Kyon's indirect death, to Tsuruya's brutal end. Ryoko stared at her index finger hovering over the mouse. She swallowed back a globule of saliva and licked her dry lips. It was the moment of truth. Dare she do it?

Setting her mouth into a thin line, she leaned forward and clicked 'Save'.

Done.

Just like that it was over. She'd found her story and conquered her fear. Shutting off the monitor with a somewhat smug smile, Ryoko strode to her bedroom, shutting the lights off as she went. She had nothing to fear. Itsuki Koizumi was safely behind bars in a maximum security prison. It wasn't as if he could magically tunnel his way out in the few short hours she'd met him, find out where she lived, and be lying in wait under her bed.

There was one thing, however, that wiped the smile off her face.

_Can I really end up being like him? _Ryoko thought to herself, fixing the bed-sheet in her bedroom.

The more she thought about it, the scarier it seemed. It was almost true in a way- Ryoko was at the top of her class and felt she was superior to her co-workers. What she'd neglected to inform Itsuki of was the fact that some of the methods she'd used to reach the top were not always the right way. One might even say underhanded. She'd lied and used her looks to sometimes gain her facts. But those were the necessities of being a seeker of the truth in her line of work. It wasn't like she'd seriously hurt anyone on purpose.

Sitting down on her comforter, Ryoko placed her chin in both hands, kicking her legs back and forth as she reflected on Itsuki's story. She wondered if the power and rush he felt during the killings felt in reality. How it was to get away with taking the life of another person. To go around your usual business, knowing that you had just rid the world of another human life.

No. She wasn't a killer. How foolish of her to even consider the notion that she was on the same wave-length as some deranged psychopath. Labeling the connection as an idle threat, Ryoko picked up her hand-mirror from her nightstand to check how she looked since she washed her makeup off.

Her own twisted smile stared right back up at her from its polished surface. She'd never even noticed the change in her face until now. Her indigo eyes glittered back at her like those of a stranger's.

The smile became a deep frown, and she tossed the mirror back onto its place on the dresser. Feeling even more cold and alone than before, Ryoko shut off her lamp and hastily climbed into the safety of her bed. The moonlight poured through the blinds, casting an eerie glow over the room.

Pulling the covers up to her chin, Ryoko shut her eyes, praying that sleep-and not Itsuki -would soon pounce upon her.

* * *

**A/N: This was inspired by a conversation on Itsuki's mannerisms as well as a discussion on Hannibal Lector and Silence of the Lambs. In fact, that's what the title of this chapter somewhat references. Fitting for Itsuki, huh? **

**Again, credit for this whole collab goes to Nukerjsr. You were awesome to write with. **

**If you're still there, please submit a review. Thank you. **


	8. Defenseless

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: This one is done in a POV type of narration, starring good, old, snarky Kyon. Decided it was time to give him a different role instead of victim. I hope this makes your skin crawl at the most.**

**Credit goes to ObsidianWarrior for providing me with the inspiration for this, by linking me to an article depicting the nasty murder scandal plot involving Varg Vikernes and Euronymous in the band called Mayhem. From that, I developed this. **

**Go nuts, people. **

**

* * *

**Hey, there.

Well? How are we feeling now?

Judging from the amount of blood spilling out of your lips, I'd say not so good. It's surreal. Kinda like watching a stuffed pig leak. Never really pegged you as a bleeder.

You have no idea how long I've waited for this day to come. I've dreamt of this moment, you know?

I'm just really glad you trusted me so much. Otherwise, being able to get you all the way out here in the first place would have been a complete bust. Buying that tazer seemed like a too big a hassle and a waste at first, and I thought you'd never let me into your home after what we've... been through. But after you smiled in that good-natured way of yours and let me in just like that, I felt like laughing. It was almost TOO easy. But, hey, I'm not one to complain- not out loud, at least. Heh.

You tensing up and flopping down onto the floor after I jammed that sucker into your back was a sight I'll never forget.

Getting you all the way out here was the real challenge, I guess. I had to wait until everyone nearby was asleep in their own homes before I could creep out of your place. It was hard to do. You're kinda heavy.

Don't just sit back against that tree when I'm talking to you. Shake it off. It's not like my baseball bat broke your legs when I smacked you. Or maybe they are, I wasn't really paying close attention. They look a little bruised and puffy, but it's nothing a bit of that magnetic personality of yours can't fix. I was asked to join the baseball club at school once- did you know that? Funny how things like this can pay off in the long run.

I still can't believe everyone couldn't see through that mask of yours.

If I didn't think you deserved this, I might worry about your health. Come to think of it, if things were just a bit different and I didn't know you, and you didn't know me, I think that the two of us might have gotten along well together. We may have actually hit it off. Too bad, though.

Hey. Don't move around so much. It looks like you're hurting yourself pretty bad.

But that's okay.

After all, you _do_ deserve this. If you think you didn't, then I guess this wouldn't be happening, huh? You've had it coming for a while.

You know what I really can't stand about you? Take a guess. C'mon. At least _try_. Okay. Fine. I'll tell you right here and now.

It's that god damned smile of yours. It just pisses me off. Everyone just sees you looking all delicate, innocent, and courteous, but I can see past all that shit. I know what's _really _under all that flawless skin.

What's that? I can't hear you. Speak up. Ick. Is that a tooth? Just spit it into the dirt. Right down there with the other five. Now what was it?

Oh? You're saying I'm not going to get away with this? Well, hate to burst your little bubble, but I am going to get away with all of this. Just a single call from Nagato, and poof, problem's all clear. Look, I got my cell-phone all set to go. Hmmmm? Confused about what I mean? Don't be coy. You should know. Nagato and I are as thick as thieves. I care for her, and she cares for me. She'll help me out of any mess. Just like I'd help her in return. I don't even think you'll be able to remember any of this next time...

Hey. Look at me. Look at me, damn it. At least _try _to. I know you can't out see of your left eye now, but don't try to turn away from me. What's the matter? Sad that she prefers me over you? I can see why that would bother you. Whoa. You look pretty angry now. This makes it all the better.

Look on the bright side, though. After I'm done here, Nagato will make it so that you'll be all bright and cheery again. All free of those nasty bumps, bruises, and cuts. Oh, yeah... Cuts. Almost forgot. I brought a knife with me. I'll be back in a second with it. It's in my bag somewhere. Maybe I'll start with your belly first. Open you up like a package or give out a couple of quick jabs. Or a nice, long gnash in one of your wrists.

No.

Your face. Yes. I'll start there.

I can't wait. This will be fun.

Because I can guarantee you, that if you even consider to do _that_ again, this will be a recurring event. I hope so. God knows that Nagato would want to do this for a bit.

So tell me... How does it feel to be the one who's vulnerable now, huh?

Tell me now.

_Please do, Asakura. _

_

* * *

_**A/N: Well, now... Creepy. **

**Did that surprise at the end get you or not? **

**Who here thought it was Haruhi or maybe even Itsuki? Even if you somehow knew right at the get-go, this is still a pretty messed-up concept. But then again, crazy Kyon was always one of my favorite ideas. He needed his villain spot sooner or later. And him being given the right to have 'fun' with a newly-revitalized and mortal, human Ryoko is very gnarly. Who's to say Kyon wouldn't want his revenge in a fic like that? He'd still be a smirking, monologue-making asshole even while gutting somebody, IMO. **

**Leave your reviews after clicking the ever-changing button below, okay? **


	9. Regrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or any of its characters. I also do not own any of the materials referenced in this story either. This was made for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. So there you go.**

**A/N: Well, well, well. Hello, my dear readers. I trust that you all know what today is. As a treat to commemorate this very special day, I decided to post this chapter up for you all on such a **_**spooky night**_**. **

**Besides the date, this chapter is also very unique for another reason: I was given the help of my very good buddy, Greg Zerich. You all may know him as the author of the fanfic known as "The Severance of Haruhi Suzumiya". A big round of applause for him on this. Forgive me for any OOCness on my part. **

**It is also worthwhile to mention that some parts of this chapter were inspired by the Dr. Who episode "The Empty Child". Feel free to read this collaboration of ours in the dark if you want. Might enhance the experience.  
**

**

* * *

**"_Why?_"

That is what the figure asks of me. A question I can't answer. The voice: hollow, but disturbingly familiar. Recognition flits on the edges of my mind, but fails to fall into place.

Maybe I don't want to know.

As the shade makes its way towards me, the streetlights go out as it passes, obscuring it. The sky is equally unavailing. It's like the world wants to keep me in the dark. Whether or not I should be thankful for that fact is something I have precious little time to contemplate.

_"Why?_"

It asks again. Even if I knew the answer, I'm not sure that I could bring myself to speak it. And yet as it draws closer, that is the only thing that it asks. The same tone, the same volume, like a record-player stuck skipping over and over.

It's getting too close. I move to run, but find myself unable. Whether it's fear that paralyzes me or something else entirely; it doesn't matter.

As it reaches out to me, I'm terrified. And yet, something else is present as well. But what? I can't let it touch me. I must let it touch me.

What have I done to deserve this?

Its outstretched hand is inches, centimeters, millimeters away.

* * *

I woke up with a jolt, knocking Shamisen clear off the bed. Any other cat might hiss or somehow complain about being so rudely awakened, but I guess my sister's rough treatment of him has made him somewhat used to it.

Yet, when I look at him, why does it almost seem like he somehow is taking pity on me? I know that animals are empathetic to their owners, but the way he looks at me...

Ugh, my mind is playing tricks on me. It was just a nightmare. Everyone has nightmares. Looking at the clock, I can see that it's a little past three in the morning. Tomorrow is yet another mystery search, and if I don't get back to sleep I'm barely going to be able to keep up, because while I'm sure that Nagato or Asahina would have pity on me, the one person that arguably matters most sure won't.

As I lay back down though, I can't shake this uneasy feeling. We all have nightmares, even recurring ones. But why is it that I think, no, that I know I've had this _exact_ same dream before? More than once even? Why does it feel like I haven't slept in days, maybe weeks?

Haruhi, if this is your doing, then I don't know what I need to apologize to you for, but I'll bow so low that my head gets enough ground penetration to make an ostrich jealous.

Although of course they don't really bury their heads in the sand.

Before I can start digressing further into the habits of various flightless birds, a buzzing calls my attention. The slight glow of my cell receiving a call fills the room. But who would even bother at this hour?

As I take the phone into my hand and manage a bleary-eyed glance at the caller I.D., I see a name which is both comforting and troubling.

Troubling because if she's calling at this hour, then something is definitely wrong. Comforting because if this is a bad situation, there's no one I'd rather have by my side.

"Hello, Nagato."

No confirmation from the other end of the line, not even the sound of someone breathing, but then again, since I don't think she needs to, I don't find it that odd.

"You're obviously not making a pleasure call, so what's happening this time?"

"There is a situation developing which requires immediate response."

Immediate response, hmm? While I don't think I'd have too much trouble getting out of the house, part of me curses the fact that life-threatening, earth-shattering situations never have the courtesy to wait until the morning or afternoon to present themselves.

Nevertheless.

"All right, Nagato. Just tell me where you need me to be."

* * *

Sneaking out of the house to go see Nagato hadn't really been all that difficult. I'd gotten some dark-colored clothing on, snuck out the back, and ridden my bike all the way out in the darkness. Oddly enough, none of this felt the least bit strange to me. Amazing what getting involved with Haruhi has gotten me used to.

As for the spot I'd agreed to meet Nagato at, it wasn't really that far away. I'd actually gotten to be quite familiar with the area. The same park where Nagato had taken to her apartment to tell me about herself and Haruhi, and where Asahina had revealed herself to me as a time-traveler from the future. This place just seems to be a magnet for attracting things from out of the ordinary.

Just like last time, I spot Nagato already waiting for me. She's wearing her everyday uniform and with her hands folded upon her lap. Just the way she has not moved at all and keeps staring straight ahead in her seat reminds me of a China doll. Though Nagato can hardly be considered frail. I roll up and park my bike to the side of the wooden bench she's sitting on. Slowly, but surely, she turns her head to face me while I approach. Something about her face tells me something is definitely up.

Call it intuition.

"Hey. I got here as fast as I could, Nagato. Sorry if I took so long," I greeted, giving her a small wave. Nagato continued to stare, silently rising from the bench. I was prepared to follow her, just in case.

"Your timing was perfect. The situation in question has not happened yet," Nagato replied to me. So there's still time to handle whatever is about to take place? Well, that's good to know.

"Where are Asahina and Koizumi?" I pondered out loud, checking for any signs of the time-traveler and esper. I thought for sure that that perhaps Nagato would have invited them along if the problem we were facing was serious enough.

"Mikuru Asahina and Itsuki Koizumi will not be appearing tonight. This matter does not deal directly with them. I only require your assistance," she responded plainly. Just me for this one? Okay. I think I can handle it.

Then without so much as another word, Nagato turned and began to walk down the main path of the park. Unsure of what was to come, I began to roll my bike alongside me as I followed after her. Wasn't long before I was able to catch up to her.

"What's happened? Does it have to do with Haruhi?" I ask inquisitively.

Nagato did not turn to face me as I spoke to her, but still answered back. "The Integrated Data Thought Entity has informed me of a drastic change occurring in the data of this world. Something that even I did not anticipate."

Nagato not anticipating something? Now I _knew_ this was bad.

"What didn't you anticipate?"

This time, Nagato fully came to a stop. My breath caught in my throat the moment she slowly turned to look at me. I never really noticed it before, but in the moonlight, her eyes are a very beautiful shade of amber. Or is it gold? Great. I'm trying to dodge the problem of the week that Haruhi may or may not have caused by commenting on my extraterrestrial friend's eyes. Nice. The petite humanoid in front of me seemed to open her mouth for a fraction of a second before she shut it again.

As if she were hesitating.

"...Do you remember when I briefly possessed Haruhi Suzumiya's ability to control data?" Nagato's voice sliced through the stillness of the night.

Of all things, I was not expecting her to bring up that touchy subject. The memories of what had happened during winter break came rushing at me like a stampede of bulls. How could I _not_ forget the events of that experience? No one remembering Haruhi and Koizumi, Asahina and Tsuruya not knowing who I was, Asakura actually stabbing me, an emotional Nagato, and the fact that I had actually had to rescue myself... Very hard to actually forget an experience like _that_.

But what did that have to do with this?

"Yeah," I answer. "Be a long time before I ever forget any of that other world. But why bring it up? I thought that when you rebooted this world, the other just sort of... vanished."

Nagato almost seemed to lower her head somewhat, so that she was now facing my chest. "You are somewhat correct in that assumption. When I reset this world to its original formatting, I dispersed all trace amounts of data pertaining to the alternate world. They remained in existence, but unable to be entered as another reality."

I think I understood what Nagato was getting at. She may have technically erased that parallel universe, but a few harmless trace amounts of it remained behind. Kinda like when you delete something on your computer. It's gone, but not forever. Just moved to someplace else where you can't see it.

"All right. I think I'm following along with what you're saying. But what does that have to do with tonight?" I inquired anxiously.

"There is about to be an anomaly entering this immediate area. The data surrounding it originates from the other world."

Nagato's answer was as clear as ice and chilled me to the core.

"But... From the other world... Coming to... Nagato, what do you mea-"

Before Nagato could even answer me, she suddenly turned her head to the right. I followed her gaze, thinking she may have spotted someone or something in the park or coming up the path. Nothing except the few scant lampposts lining the side of the road greeted us. I would have asked her what she was looking for, but I was interrupted by the flickering of the nearest lamppost. It buzzed erratically, the next one copying it. And the next and the next. They continued to blink in and out of power until they just sort of stopped altogether. A soft wind began to blow towards us, scattering a handful of dead leaves .

"What was that?" I had an inkling of a feeling that this wasn't natural.

"It's starting to breach this reality. We have less than two minutes," Nagato spoke, instantly breaking out into a small run. I didn't question a thing and went right after her, abandoning my bike right there. Nagato kept running a few feet ahead of me, but went at just enough of a pace for me to keep up with her. I followed her out of the park entirely, dashing out into the street in the process. I was briefly afraid of Nagato and me being spotted by someone who might find a pair of teens running around at this hour strange, but the streets seemed completely devoid of cars. Not even a garbage-truck. Not wanting to question my luck, I continued to hurry after my lavender-haired friend as she ducked into a dark alley between a small store and a shop of some kind.

It had to happen somewhere dark, didn't it?

Panting from my romp, I came to find to find Nagato standing still in the passage. A dumpster took up the left side of the alley, sprigs on grass poked out of the cracks in the cement, and the end of the alley curved to the left. Nagato took a step into the shadows, one delicate foot at a time. Her fingers were curled into small fists at her side. I couldn't see her face, but I guessed she was probably scanning the area in front of her for whatever we were looking for.

But just what is it that's so bad?

Nagato, who seemed to have read my mind, turned her head over her shoulder to look at me. "It should occur in three seconds. Stay close."

"Already? But just what is going to occur in three seconds?"

Speak of the devil, I got my answer in three seconds. A faint glimmer of light began to emanate from corner of the alley up ahead. Like two foolishly curious fish seeing the glow of an anglerfish in a trench, Nagato and I began to move towards the source of the light from around the bend. I wisely stuck behind her the entire time we crept forward. I listened carefully for any tell-tale signs of movement. What I heard sounded somewhat similar to the low crackling of electricity. Something lightly scraped against the pavement.

Nagato started off without me, confidently striding down the alley without a care in the world. I trailed right off after her. At the end of the curve, Nagato faced the direction of the light, and... just sort of stood there. She did not go any further. Nor did anything lunge out of the alley and attack her. Seeing her nod subtlety at me, I took a deep breath, and stepped into the light to see what had gotten her attention.

When I did, I felt as though all of the air had been sucked out of my lungs.

I could not believe what I saw lying on the pavement before us. It just couldn't be. I had been expecting a slider or some sort of monster to be waiting for us in here. But instead of that, draped across the bottom of the alley at Nagato's feet... was another Nagato.

I stared right down at the duplicate in awe. She was lying flat on the earth on her stomach, bathed in the light of a hole from the wall that I had just barely noticed. It was just about the size for a person to crawl through and filled with what looked like the static that appears on a television set. Before either of us could take another step, the hole crackled with grey electricity that licked the wall around it. It gave another sizzle, shuddered, and just shrank to the size of a pea. Gone.

But I had another questions- like who the person that I was kneeling down next to was.

The purplish hair, the sailor uniform, the angelic face that was lying with her cheek pressed against the ground... Everything was the same. Right down to the last detail; a perfect match. The main differences that distinguished them were the numerous small tears in her clothes, her right arm bent at an angle, scratches and bruises on her legs and face, and a pair of glasses on her face. The left lens had a spider-web crack in the center. Wisps of smoke curled up from her body, carrying the scent of electrical-burns and something coppery.

I knew it.

It was _her_.

"Nagato! Is this... Is this really who I think it is? Is this who you wanted to show me?"

"Yes. This is the alternate version of myself that I created using Haruhi Suzumiya's power. She is the reason I required your assistance."

I felt dizzy; like I was literally going to just faint right there in this dark alley. "But why is she here? How did she get here? I thought that... that... _Why_ is she here?" I sputtered in confusion.

Nagato walked over to where I was crouching near her double. "This alternate image that I created was made from the same exact data as my own. I based her basic model off of myself, but with suitable changes in behavior that I theorized that you would prefer," Nagato explained calmly in contrast to my tense situation. "...However..."

An icy feeling in my gut arose. "However, what?"

Nagato folded her hands across her lap, staring down at me with an almost saddened look. "...However, it seems that when I deleted the universe created for you and my copy, her data refused to disperse."

I was even more confused by now. "Refused?"

"At first, I could not detect any traces of my copy. I assumed she had been reformatted back to the data of this world as a part of me once again. But during these past few weeks, I gradually began to sense her presence from beyond this reality. It was faint at first, but grew stronger over time. I managed to place to place a lock-on system to pinpoint where she would emerge into our world," Nagato explained to me.

All of that information was way too much for me to take in. I... I... can't even begin to think of what she's been through. Did she get here through just sheer force of will? Walking through whatever separates our worlds just to get here? Oh, god, there shouldn't be this many cuts on her. Is that blood on her face? Is she even breathing? I extended a hand towards her to try and pick her up, only for Nagato to grasp my shoulder.

"Do not make contact with her."

"Why not? We have to help her! She could be dying!"

"Expose to the coding of the barrier that separates our worlds has corrupted her data. Making any physical connection with her will surely have a negative reaction to your state of being. Her body and mind have degenerated to low conditions."

I slowly stood up, now wary of the girl who lay on the ground. "Corrupt data? So... what will happen exactly if I touch her." Again, Nagato said nothing. Never a good sign.

"Please tell me this is a joke, Nagato. Tell me it is. Your bosses are just trying to get a reaction out of me aren't they? She's not real, is she? Is she? If it is a joke, it's not funny at all." Damn it, what's wrong with my voice? It's cracking up and I'm having trouble even seeing straight.

Nagato just peered down at me as if I were a small child in trouble; this stare of hers just made me feel so uneasy. "Humor. Often used as a coping mechanism in high-stress situations."

You can certainly say that again. Whatever I had planned on saying next went unheard of as the alternate universe version of Nagato suddenly jerked herself up from the ground in a flurry of limbs. I sprang away, standing away from her in surprise at her unexpected movement. The alternate Nagato was now set directly between me and my own Nagato. She stares straight at the brick wall ahead of her with widened eyes, just breathing heavily. Her ragged breath made puffs of white in the cold air. Her exposed legs pulled themselves close to her body as she adjusted herself to a half-sitting position. In the moonlight, I saw a hideous bruise just above her left kneecap. She propped herself on the ground with only one arm, the other still limp. Broken.

I nervously stood and watched, while my Nagato remained in her reserved stance. The alternate Nagato continued to inhale and exhale, only to start a coughing fit. I don't even think she has noticed us yet. I was thinking about getting her attention by saying something, until a wet, violent cough escaped her mouth. She brought up an arm to her chest and spat a gob of blood that splattered the wall in front of her. She hacked and spat a few more flecks after it, turning the ground a dark red.

That was when she paused and turned in my direction. She blinked once and gasped softly. It really _was _her. She looked so weak and pitiful that I just wanted to cradle her in my arms. Blood dribbled from her lips, her eyes were streaked with tears, the left side of her chest was bleeding, and a tiny cut was planted on the right side of her cheek. But she still looked beautiful in my eyes.

"_...Kyon?_" She practically breathed the word out . I had to strain my ears to hear her. "..._Kyon? Is that... you?_"

"Y-Yes. It's me, Nagato. It's... wonderful to see you again," I said shakily to her. What else was I supposed to say to her? She didn't even look like she had noticed the real Nagato yet. Speaking of which, she was just staring right at her clone's back with an indifferent expression.

The Nagato in front of me continued to lie there on the ground with a confused expression. But as I stared into that tired face of hers, I saw her face began to change. Her eyes observed me closely as she unsteadily began to climb to her feet. I began to offer a hand out of instinct, but drew back when I recalled Nagato's warning. The alternate Nagato finally managed to prop herself up onto her feet by using the side of the building for support. She clung to it with her working arm and stared right into my face. She wore a mixed look of sorrow, happiness, and resentment.

Wiping the blood off her lip, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"_Why?_"

"What?"

"_Why?_" she asked me again, taking a step towards me. I instinctively back away from her. This only served to make her narrow her eyes at me.

She was angry now.

"_Why did you leave me?_" she demanded, her voice carrying a hint of poison in it. "_You chose this other world over my own. You didn't even give it a chance. You abandoned me. You betrayed me. Everything began to fade after you left us. I lost everything and everyone. I hated you for that. I started to forget things... You're so selfish..._"

My heart ached in my chest.

She titled her head to the side and began to ramble and murmur random words that I couldn't make out. "Nagato, what's wrong with her?"

"Her emotional state has eroded considerably. All of her feelings- my own feelings- have mingled together to revive her."

"Then this is how you really felt about my decision? All of the emotions and thoughts you pushed aside? They..." I gestured to the coughing Nagato replica. "...all make her up?"

"...Yes. The two of us are connected. She felt your presence through me. That's how she was able to locate a way into our dimension," Nagato answered stoically.

"_Why?_" gagged the alternate Nagato, spitting up a bit of blood on her stained uniform as she stumbled towards me still. "_Why did you leave me? Why? What did I do? ...Kyon... I missed you so much._" Her expression went from mournful to a sort of dazed smile as she lurched in my direction.

The scent of burned fabric, flesh, and blood got even stronger. I kept backing away from her, seeing the blood she had left on the ground. Smoke curled from it like her clothes had. It sizzled where it fell. What would happen if she were to actually touch me? And why does this all seem familiar?

The smile on the alternate Nagato's face was suddenly replaced by one of pain. "_Ahhh...!_" She gripped the shoulder of her broken arm. "_Please help me, Kyon. It really hurts._"

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you and your world. I wish I could help you. I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" I gabbled, nearly tripping in a puddle of filthy water. "But this is my own world. I already have a Nagato of my own! She's my friend!"

As if finally noticing her counterpart for the first time, the alternate version of Nagato turned around and saw the real deal standing a few feet away from her. She turned back to me, looking depressed.

"_But I don't want to be your friend._"

"What?" I asked, my brain already trying to wrap itself around what she had said.

"_Why do I have to be just your friend? Why? I wanted... I want to be more than just friends. I want... I want... Wh-_"

The sound of metal piercing through flesh spilt through the air. I dropped my jaw at the sight in front of me. A shining white blade of energy had burst through the human Nagato's crimson chest. Her tiny feet dangled inches over the ground, while her mouth was open in a silent scream.

And attached to the end of that blade was the arm of my own Yuki Nagato.

"Estimated amount of consciousness left, one minute, twelve seconds. Estimated completion of data acquisition, one minute, seventeen seconds," Nagato deadpanned. At those words, tiny white sparks began to eat away at the feet of her doppelganger. I couldn't believe what I was watching. It was like with Asakura all over again.

"_K-K-K... K... yo... n... I... I..._" the stabbed girl in front of me gurgled. Her blood still dripped to the ground, where it sizzled like an acid.

"Nagato, you're hurting her! What are you doing!" I yelled, running to her side. I thought about shaking her arm to see if that would even do anything, but the look in her eyes told me not to try anything crazy.

"Trust me," she said.

Knowing Nagato had never failed me before, I obliged. I could only watch in silence as the sparks continued on the glasses-wearing girl until they reached her stomach. I watched helplessly as the bloodied version of Nagato turned around to look at us.

She shot me a pleading look and sighed. "_I just wanted to make you happy._"

And then her head slumped forward. Both of her arms hung limply now. A few more seconds remained until she was gone completely. Looking at the ground, I saw there were no remains of anything that would have proved she was here. No footprints or blood. Her hand reverted from its sword-form, Nagato brought it up to her face to observe it, like she was inspecting a broken nail.

"What did you do to her?" I asked in the uncomfortable silence of the alley.

"Her very presence threatened to corrupt the rest of this world if she were to remain free. So I was tasked with containing her coding within my own," Nagato said, looking to me at the last part. What? So she's inside Nagato's head or something?

"So she's not dead? You just _downloaded_ her or something? She'll be okay?" My heartbeat began to slow down in relief somewhat. Still didn't make me feel any less like a complete monster at what I had done though.

"In a way as you put it, a download. I have stored her within my own memory to keep her from corrupting anything. She was not have supposed to have emerged from the data-flow like that. A part of me I couldn't erase that easily. But..."

"But what?" I inquired. "Aren't we done here?"

Nagato looked down at her feet. "Not quite. The real task comes now."

Oh, no. "Just what does that mean exactly? I thought you asked me to come out here because you wanted to show me your parallel-self. I didn't even do much of anything, now that I think of it."

"Tell me," Nagato said in a voice like a whisper. "Have you been feeling odd this night?"

"What do you mean by that?" I said back, now feeling creeped out.

"Feeling bouts of nostalgia."

I rubbed the side of my head in contemplation. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I feel like I'm really familiar with certain things this night, Nagato. But how would you know about that?"

Nagato stepped out into a bright patch of moonlight, her gaze locked with mine. "Because you have relived this exact same night a total of fifty-five times."

...What?

Did I hear that correctly?

"What are you saying?" I began, shivering. I stared directly into her face when I noticed something. Something on Nagato's face that I knew she did not have before- a cut on her cheek. "Nagato, your face..."

"So it has already started then..." the alien drawled, touching her face. I looked down at her body and saw what appeared to be minuscule cuts being ripped into her clothing. Like invisible razors were slicing away at her. An ugly bruise sprouted on her knee, going from the size of a coin to an apple in seconds.

"Nagato... What's happening to you?" I asked quietly, dreading the answer.

"On this very night, my duplicate entered this world from the new one I had created. Her data had been corrupted from wandering the realm of junk-space in search of a wormhole into our own. I was instructed to contain her data within myself. Unfortunately, my superiors had no way of noting that the infection would spread to myself. On that very night, I was with you when I... changed," Nagato explained in her monotone voice.

"You mean you're being changed into... your _other_ self? How is that even possible? What does this do with the night repeating!" I nearly screamed at her. Suddenly, my feelings of déjà vu and the nightmare didn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

I was trapped in another time-loop once again.

"My copy and I are one in the same. What happens to her data, happens to my own." At that, Nagato raised her left hand to her mouth, balled it into a fist, and coughed. My unease turned to fear when she pulled it away, blood dripping from it. "The process is nearing the final changes..."

Nagato swayed uneasily on her feet, tottering backwards before she regained her footing. She grabbed her head with both and hands and grunted. Seeing her like this was completely surreal. I'd seen the Nagato from the other world display emotions, but this... this was just unnerving.

"Nagato, tell me what's happening, please," I begged to her. I needed to know what was going to happen and what I could do to help her. I stuck out a hand to comfort her. Rather than remain still, Nagato crept away as if my arm were some kind of monster.

"Do not make contact with me. I could harm you with a mere touch," she rasped, breathing heavily. More blood trickled out of her mouth in a ghastly puddle. "I have set this night in a time-loop in order to give you enough chances to discover a way to help me and keep the viruses within me from spreading. The night will reset itself should I place you in any danger that will prove fatal."

So all those times I relived this night, I died? Almost died? My, god...

"What do I do to help you?" I yelled, not caring if I woke anyone up. "Tell me, Nagato!"

"You must talk to... You must find... " Nagato sank to her feet, with her face in her hands, knees pulled up to her chest. A shudder went through her body.

"Yes? ...Nagato?" I took a step closer. "Nagato?"

Nagato did not reply back to me. Instead, she lifted her face out of her palms, and swayed on her feet. Locking eyes with me, she breathed out one word.

"_Why?_"

Incredible how that single word nearly caused my knees to give out from under me. What happened next was something that I felt was intensely familiar, yet would be burned into my memory for all eternity. For a moment, I saw a gleam in Nagato's eyes and assumed them to be tears even though she wasn't crying. But it wasn't tears that I saw shimmering- something else. Her eyes almost seemed to be forcing themselves out of their sockets like a fish's eyes. I looked away from Nagato's face to her body while she rose, a dark red patch the size of a tea-drop becoming visible on the left side of her chest. It continued to grow at a steady rate, the spot becoming damp. Nagato began to cup the area with her left arm, grimacing while the blood seeped between her fingers. Her other arm now hung limply from her side now. It just sort of swayed like a pendulum in front of me.

Something was also making its way out of the skin across the bridge of her nose. A small, thin, clear band of some kind that's connecting itself to the glassy bulges. It pushed itself from her nose, the two clear protrusions from her eyes following them. They flattened themselves in front of her eyes and stayed there. Similar-looking bands rose up from along the sides of her head, causing her hair to rise as they settled themselves behind her ears.

It took me five seconds to realize what had just come out of Nagato's face.

A pair of glasses with a cracked lens.

Her transformation to my nightmare was complete.

_"Why?_" she moaned, stepping towards me with one raised blood-stained hand. "_Why did you want to leave?_"

I quickly looked behind me. Rows of stores lined the back of the alley. A long stretch of road lay in front of me. Without another thought, I ran for it.

"_Why? Why are you running... Come back to me, Kyon..._"

I felt like raw energy was surging through my legs, I looked back to see Nagato slowly loping after me. That distraught look she wore made it all the harder to keep running from her. Her grabbed a hold of a white building's backdoor for support before she continued her pursuit. I swear, she left a bubbling hand-print on it.

"_Why did you leave me? Was it for her?_" she wailed after me.

I kept running until I reached the end of the alley. The clouds had covered the moon now, covering everything in a near blackness. Nagato still had quite a ways to catch up with me. I thought about running into the street for help when I quickly realized how bad that was. What if by chance, someone saw her stumbling around in the middle of the street? A girl covered in blood with a broken arm was sure to attract attention. Someone might try to help her and... I didn't really want to picture what would happen to a human being instead of a pile of stone or brick.

"_Why?_" came the cry from behind me.

Digging around in my pockets, I took out my cell-phone and flicked it open. I had to divert her somewhere where she couldn't escape or encounter anyone else. Maybe I could goad her into one of the back buildings and keep her there while I called someone on my cell. Who the hell would know what to do at this hour? Asahina wouldn't be of much help since we were in a loop and Koizumi and his agency probably wouldn't know how to fix her. Wait... Maybe... Maybe I could try Emiri Kimidori! She was Nagato's superior, so she would have a good way of knowing about what to do. Point me in the right direction at the most. I quickly flipped my phone open and scrolled down to her number, grateful that I had taken the time to ask her for it from that one meeting with the Student Council. Giving another look to see how far along Nagato was, I listened to the sound of ringing on the other end.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Pick up, Kimidori. I really need some help here. A fourth ring followed, and then the sound of someone picking up. I heard some static, followed up by a voice that I was not expecting.

_"Why?_"

I nearly dropped my phone in shock. Nagato's voice continued to pour out of my cell, the same word repeating over and over again amidst the static.

"_Why? Why? Why? Why?_"

I shoved it into my pocket in a panic. I would have to run there instead. I gave another look to see where Nagato was.

"_Why?_" she groaned, hand inches away from my face.

I will not lie. I screamed right there. Fell right on my ass and onto the cement. I scrambled through some more puddles and ducked down a passageway to my right. My fear propelled me through trashcans, boxes, and recycling-bins lined along the path. I couldn't see anything in this new alley, besides my own hands. I didn't dare to check if Nagato was behind me anymore. I ran through who knows how many back-alleys and even a lot, until I came to a path with light from a lamppost. Without thinking, I ran for the turn.

I ended up coming face to face with a chain-link fence.

I clawed at the fence and shook it roughly. Too narrow for me to squirm though and no dirt for me to try to dig through. I even tried to climb over it, but my shoes kept clipping off through the small holes. I felt like a fox in a trap, awaiting the hunter to come and collect me.

"_Why?_"

I spun around with my back to the fence. Nagato had found me.

"Nagato, you don't want to do this. I know you're still there somewhere. I want to help you," I reasoned, trying to see if the old her was still in there. At first, she just stared directly at me with unblinking eyes. She started walking again, her right arm still dangling lifelessly. The lights along the tops of the buildings lining the alley blink out completely as she advances.

"_Why?_"

This is it. Nowhere to run now. I'm reliving my nightmare for the fifty-six time.

"_Why?_"

Oh, god, she's nearly on top of me now. Just a few more inches and I'm done for. I don't know what will happen if she manages to touch me but... I don't want find out. It's no mistake that I'll probably die. But that's not what truly scares me here. Oh, no. The worst part of it is that I'm about to die at the hands of one of my most dear and closest friends. The irony is not lost on me. After all we've been through together, this is how it ends.

Well, this is not really the end. Just a part of another endless cycle I've fallen into with Nagato. Only much worse. I get to actually see her suffer visibly this time. I totally blew it. Just like all those other times, I bet. How many times will this loop go on for?

"_Why?_"

Nagato reached out to me with one blood-stained hand, the tips just barely touching the front of my shirt. I swear, it felt like someone had touched me with the tip of a branding iron. And yet, I still wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Her pleading eyes meet mine one last time.

_"Why?_"

Everything fades to black once again.

* * *

I woke up with a jolt, knocking Shamisen clear off the bed. Any other cat might hiss or somehow complain about being so rudely awakened, but I guess my sister's rough treatment of him has made him somewhat used to it.

Yet, when I look at him, why does it almost seem like he somehow is taking pity on me? I know that animals are empathetic to their owners, but the way he looks at me...

Ugh, my mind is playing tricks on me. It was just a nightmare. Everyone has nightmares. Looking at the clock, I can see that it's a little past three in the morning. Tomorrow is yet another mystery search, and if I don't get back to sleep I'm barely going to be able to keep up, because while I'm sure that Nagato or Asahina would have pity on me, the one person that arguably matters most sure won't.

...Wait.

Wait.

_Wait_.

Nagato.

_Nagato_.

Wait, why am I thinking about Nagato at the moment? I don't know why, but it's like there's something at the back of my brain that is telling me that something is wrong. I can't place it, but something just _feels_ out of place. I feel like I've forgotten something from my dream, but I can't remember what. Shamisen is now settling himself into my lap as if to comfort me. I absentmindedly scratch him behind the ear in thanks.

What do my nightmares and Nagato have to do with each other?

Before I can begin to ponder more about this case of paranoia, the ringing of my cell cuts through the silence. I crawl over and gingerly pick it up. I'm getting a sense of foreboding from it, and I haven't even answered. What is wrong with me? Haruhi, if this is your doing...

I take one look at the name on the caller I.D. with my blurry eyes and an odd set of feelings overcome me. A mixture of relief and... familiarity. Again, it's almost like a feeling of déjà vu. I try to force the feeling away, brushing away some sweat on my brow. I flip my phone open and place the receiver to my ear.

Even as I hear the sound of complete silence on the other end, I still can't help but feel that I've somehow done this before. But I'm absolutely sure it's nothing to get that worried about.

"Hello, Nagato."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for helping me out, Greg. You were awesome to work with on this.**

**As for the rest of you all...**

**Happy Halloween. **


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